Disappearing and Reappearing
by TeamFreeWill94
Summary: What if 5th year happened differently then we all remember? What if, just a month before school is scheduled to be let out, Harry disappears? What happened? Where is he? And, most importantly, will he be found in time and alive? Sequel to Lies
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello. So, this is _Disappearing and Reappearing_, the sequel to _Lies...It's All Lies_ and the second in the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it. I absolutely _loved_ writing this one and it is by far my favourite out of the trilogy. :P It is 36 chapters and the chapters are not as short as they were in _Lies...It's All Lies_. So, I hope you like it. :]**

**I will also sometimes refer to _Lies...It's All Lies_ or _Disappearing and Reappearing_. However, it gets tiring typing out the full titles all the time so, when I talk about them, I'll refer to _Lies...It's All Lies_ as just _Lies_ and _Disappearing and Reappearing_ will be _D&R_. :]**

**Oh, before you read, if you haven't read _Lies...It's All Lies_ yet, you should, otherwise this will not make much sense, if any at all. :]**

"Hey, Harry. Come here for a minute. We've got a surprise for you," Sirius Black called to his godson/nephew, Harry Potter.

When Harry was five years old, Sirius and Remus Lupin took Harry away from his abusive uncle, and they adopted him for their own. Harry was happier than ever after getting adopted.

Of course, there were the times Harry thought his guardians were too over-protective. Like his first year, Remus and Sirius have been terrified when Harry, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley went after the Philosopher's Stone. They also were scared in Harry's second year when Harry and Ron went into the Chamber of Secrets to save Ron's little sister, Ginny.

None of them forgot the previous year when Harry was in his third year. During the year, _Daily Prophet _reporter Rita Skeeter had spread rumors about Harry through the _Prophet. _She ended up making up a lie about how Remus and Sirius "kidnapped" Harry, causing the Ministry to take him away. Remus, Sirius, Ron, and Hermione got trials against Skeeter and they eventually got Harry back. When he got back, it was the Quidditch final against Slytherin, and Gryffindor won for the first time since Charlie Weasley. That year, Harry also found out that Remus and Sirius were his great uncles. That year, Harry also found the Blood Rose and gave the juice to Remus, who, after drinking all of it, was cured forever from lycanthropy.

Harry loved living with them and none of them could imagine a life without each other.

"What's up?" Harry asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Guess what we got?" Remus smiled.

"I don't know. A hippogriff that sings happy birthday," Harry answered sarcastically and his uncles laughed.

"We have top box tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. We're going with the Weasleys and Hermione," Remus told Harry who gaped at them.

"No way. How did you get them?" Harry wondered, staring at them.

"Kingsley had three extra and he gave them to me the other day," Sirius told him as Harry began grinning.

"When is it?" Harry asked again.

"Tomorrow, so go pack some things. We'll be staying overnight," Remus replied and Harry ran upstairs to his room. "Have you heard that this year Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard Tournament?" Remus stated.

"Really? That is a brutal tournament," Sirius shook his head.

"It is. Last time it took place, a contestant died," Remus nodded in agreement. "We don't have to worry about Harry going in it because they raised the age limit to seventeen and over," he added.

"Good. I don't think he would go in it anyways," Sirius sighed in relief.

"True," Remus nodded again. The two wizards talked for another twenty minutes before Harry came down, wearing his sweater and he had his bag.

"Ready. When do we leave?" Harry asked as soon as he got in the kitchen.

"We should leave now or we'll be late. Let's go," Remus remarked, looking at his watch.

"How are we getting there?" Harry wondered as they walked away from the house.

"We'll be walking down the trail over there and taking a Portkey to the match. We'll be meeting the Weasleys and Hermione there," Sirius explained. Harry nodded and they walked down a trail for fifteen minutes then they arrived at a boot on a hill.

"That's it?" Harry raised an eyebrow at the boot.

"Yep, and everyone's here just in time," Remus nodded and Harry spun around to see Mr. Weasley, Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, and Hermione. He grinned. When the Weasleys and Hermione got to Harry and his godfathers, they all said hello, hugging and shaking hands.

"Ready, Arthur?" Sirius smiled.

"Yep, thirty seconds. Everyone grab on," Mr. Weasley instructed and everyone grabbed the boot with one hand. "Three…two…one!" Mr. Weasley counted down then they all got jerked off the ground and began spinning. They all landed on the ground. Sirius and Remus both reached out to catch Harry before he fell out of habit. "Welcome to the Quidditch World Cup," Mr. Weasley said as they walked over a hill. All the kids gasped when they saw everything. They all walked up to a man.

"Weasley and Black," Sirius told the man. The man nodded and told them the amount of money they had to pay. Harry helped Sirius while Hermione helped Mr. Weasley as they were paying with Muggle money.

"Let's go," Mr. Weasley stated when they finished paying. The adults lead the way through the crowd, the kids right behind them.

"Here we are," Sirius said, stopping suddenly with Remus and Mr. Weasley, causing Harry, Ron, and Hermione to bump into them and fall to the ground. Sirius and Remus turned around to help the three fourteen year olds up. They picked their bags up and looked ahead of them. There were three tents. Two with 'Wesely' and one with 'Black' over top.

"At least they got one right," Mr. Weasley sighed, looking at his name.

"Hermione, Ginny. You two get one tent. Arthur and the boys get the other and we get this one," Remus told everyone and they all walked into their tents. Harry walked into his and gasped.

"I love magic," he whispered to himself. The tent had a kitchen, two bedrooms, and a small living room.

"Moony, you get one of the bedrooms, Harry, you get the other, and I'll take the couch," Sirius told his family.

"This is amazing," Harry smiled as they all sat on the couch. When neither of his guardians said anything, he glanced at them to see both of them staring at him. "What?" he frowned.

"Nothing," Sirius replied shortly. Harry looked at them with a knowing look.

"We just can't believe that you're already fourteen. Before we know it, you'll be done school," Remus sighed and Harry grinned.

"I still have three years, not counting this year," Harry told them.

"It'll go faster than you think," Sirius added.

"Let's not focus on that. We're at the World Cup. I'm here to have fun. Don't ruin that for me," Harry laughed when Sirius tickled him, making Harry jump and push his godfather away. "Bugger off."

"We bet thirty-seven galleons, fifteen sickles, and three knuts that Ireland will win but Krum will catch the Snitch," the three heard one of the twins say.

"That's a big bet and I'll take it," they heard another voice say. They didn't know who it was so they stepped outside.

"Ludo Bagman?" Sirius gaped when he saw who Fred and George were talking to.

"Sirius Black! It's been a long time. How are you doing?" Bagman shook Sirius' hand. Bagman had been there when Sirius was sent to Azkaban, but the two stayed close friends since Bagman tried to change the others' minds about Sirius' arrest.

"I'm fine. Here with my family and friends," Sirius answered.

"Family?" Bagman raised an eyebrow.

"My best friend, Remus Lupin and our nephew or godson, Harry Potter," Sirius said as Remus stepped up beside him, and he put his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Mr. Potter. Pleasure to meet you. Please to see you again, Remus," Bagman shook Harry's hand who nodded, smiling.

"Want to place a bet on the outcome of the match?" Bagman asked Sirius who shook his head.

"Not this time. I'm just here for Harry and the other kids," Sirius replied.

"All right. See you all later," Bagman turned and left. As soon as Bagman was gone, another person came over.

"Black," the man said shortly with no tone.

"Crouch," Sirius remarked in the same way. The man was Barty Crouch and they hated each other. Crouch also was the reason Sirius had been sent to Azkaban without a trial and Harry and Remus could see the hatred in their eyes.

"I just came over to make sure none of these children are betting on the game. They're much too young and are not allowed to bet," Crouch stated and Remus answered instead.

"No one here is gambling on the match. Goodbye, Mr. Crouch," Remus answered through almost clenched teeth. He hated the man just as much as Sirius. Harry was standing there, wondering why the three were glaring at each other.

"Good day," Crouch immediately left.

"Thanks for not selling us out," Fred and George called to Sirius and Remus who nodded in reply.

"Let's go inside before Sirius changes his mind about hexing Crouch," Remus suggested and he, Harry, and Sirius went back into the tent.

"Who was that?" Harry asked as they situated themselves on the couch again.

"Barty Crouch. He works at the Ministry. He's the reason I went to Azkaban without a trial," Sirius almost growled, still fuming at seeing the man again.

"That's why the three of you were glaring at each other," Harry put in.

"Yep. Let's get to bed. It's late and we need to get up early tomorrow," Remus responded, standing up.

"Aww, do we have to?" Harry whined.

"Unless you want to sleep through the entire World Cup, I suggest we go to bed," Sirius laughed.

"Fine. Night, guys," Harry sighed and went to one of the bedrooms.

"Padfoot?" Remus sat on the couch again. Sirius didn't answer. "Padfoot, you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Sirius nodded, not looking at Remus.

"No, you're not. You want to hex him, don't you?" Remus grinned.

"Can I?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"No."

"Will you?"

"No."

"Can I get Harry to?"

"Absolutely not!" Remus exclaimed, still smiling slightly.

"Fine. We should get to bed since we gotta get up early with Harry," Sirius said and Remus went to other bedroom while Sirius lay down on the couch.

* * *

><p>"Come on! Get up already! Get up!" Sirius opened his eyes to see Harry right there.<p>

"What's up?" Sirius yawned.

"Get up. We need to leave. Sirius, get up," Harry repeated. Sirius opened his eyes again and saw Harry practically pouting and Remus laughing.

"He did the same thing to you, didn't he?" Sirius slowly sat up.

"Oh yeah, except he jumped on the bed and almost made me fall out of the bed," Remus nodded, glaring playfully at Harry who grinned sheepishly. He ruffled Harry's hair making him groan.

"Could you two please stop doing that? I almost had it lying flat," Harry groaned.

"Your hair will never lie flat. No spell or potion could get it flat," Remus stated and Harry glared slightly. "Going to try and contradict me, are you?" Remus laughed as Harry shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Come on. Let's go. The Weasleys and Hermione are already ready. Sirius, come on!" Harry pulled on Sirius' arm, trying to get him up.

"All right, I'm coming. Let me get ready. You can go out with Hermione and the others," Sirius finally stood up, stretching. Harry went outside with Ron and Hermione and the others.

"He's exactly the same here as he is at home," Sirius smiled, slowly getting frocked.

"He would be the same if we all lived on the moon, Padfoot. Hurry up or I'll send Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George in here after you," Remus grinned as he started out of the tent.

"You wouldn't dare," Sirius frowned.

"Watch me. You'll be surprised," Remus gave a final smirk and walked outside. Sirius chuckled to himself, shook his head, and continued getting ready.

* * *

><p>"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked as they walked to their seats.<p>

"He's talking with Ludo," Remus answered and Harry looked at him. "He'll get here before it starts, don't worry," Remus added at his look.

"Well, look who it is," a cold, drawling voice said as the group was climbing some stairs. They looked at the staircase below to see Draco Malfoy with his parents, Lucius and Narcissa. "How in the world did all of you get tickets? You must have had to steal them because no one in their right mind would supply them to you," Draco sneered. Lucius lightly hit his son in stomach with his walking stick.

"Be nice, Draco," Lucius said, pretending to stick up for the group. The group began to walk away but stopped when Lucius caught Harry's sweater with the snake head of his stick. Harry tried to pull away but it was also stuck in the wooden railing. Everyone glared deeply at the family. "He will return. Enjoy the time and people you have left," Lucius whispered to Harry who glared even harder at the nasty thug. Lucius' mouth turned up into a small smirk then disappeared. He got the snake head out of the wood, finally releasing Harry, and stalked off. They all watched the three disappear then continued up to their seats. When they finally got there, they saw Sirius was already there, chatting with Bagman.

"Hey. What took so long?" Sirius asked looking at the group of his friends and family.

"We ran into the Malfoys," Remus replied shortly as he sat down beside his friend, Harry on his other side with Ron and Hermione.

"What happened? Did any of them touch Harry?" Sirius asked, no longer having the smile he had earlier.

"Draco said some things. Narcissa just stood there, grinning. Lucius caught Harry's sweater with that walking stick thing of his as we started to leave. He whispered something to Harry. I didn't hear what. None of us did, except Harry," Remus explained and was glad to see Sirius hadn't jumped up to hunt the three down.

"Does Harry know he's related to them? Along with Bellatrix?" Sirius wondered automatically.

"Nope. He'll flip when he finds out though," Remus shook his head.

"We need to tell him," Sirius told Remus who nodded, sighing.

"When we get home," Remus and Sirius agreed. Just then, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge spoke.

"Welcome everyone to the Quidditch World Cup. Our teams today are Bulgaria and Ireland," Fudge's voice echoed throughout the stadium. Remus and Sirius looked over at Harry to see him scowling. He never did forgive Fudge for taking him, locking him in a room at the Ministry, breaking his wrist, and for sending him to the Dursleys' again. They smiled softly to themselves.

They all listened as Fudge said the names of all the players. When Fudge got to Viktor Krum, everyone cheered loudly and happily. After about ten minutes, Fudge finished talking and the match began. The match was brutal and it lasted for two hours. It ended quickly and in a very unexpected way. Krum caught the Snitch but Ireland won.

While the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry, and his godfathers walked back to their tents, they were all chatting and laughing with each other.

"Mr. Bagman! It seems we won the bet. Pay up," George stated as he and Fred walked over to Bagman when they reached the tents.

"That was amazing. I never would have thought that the match would end like that. Never thought Krum would do that," Bagman shook his head smiling as he counted enough money to give to the twins.

"Thanks," Fred thanked Bagman and went into their tent after they got the money.

"Anytime. So, Sirius. See you later. Bye, Remus, Harry," Bagman turned to leave.

"Would you like to stay for a bit, Ludo? Talk for a bit," Remus suggested and Bagman came back.

"I'd love to," Bagman smiled as he followed the three into their tent. Harry sat on the couch with Remus and Sirius while Bagman sat in a chair. Remus quickly took out his wand and lit a fire in the fireplace.

"Do you still work at the Ministry, Ludo?" Remus asked, flicking his pipe to make coffee.

"Yep. Still head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports," Bagman nodded. Remus waved his wand again and levitated the coffee to himself, Sirius, and Bagman.

"We haven't been in the Ministry since the two trials last year. If we didn't go then, it would have been eight years since we've been in that building," Sirius sighed.

"That's true," Remus nodded in agreement.

"Will you ever come back? It'd be great having you around again," Bagman asked and Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"We doubt it. We'll drop in to visit people, but I don't think we'll ever come back permanently. We enjoy teaching at Hogwarts," Remus shook his head, looking at Sirius and Harry as Sirius put a hand on the teen's knee.

"Oh. Well, visit soon. I know Kingsley and Mad-Eye would love to see the both of you again," Bagman replied, sounding disappointed.

"What about Dung? Doesn't he still work at the Ministry?" Sirius frowned.

"Oh, yes, of course. Yes, he does and I know he would love to see you as well," Bagman added.

"We'll try, Ludo," Sirius said shortly.

"Well, I should get going. It's getting late and I'm sure you three have to get up early. See you soon. Bye, Remus, Sirius. Bye, Harry," Bagman bid goodbye and walked out of the tent.

"Do you both mean it when you say you won't ever go back permanently?" Harry asked after Bagman had gone.

"Of course we mean in. We'd rather work at Hogwarts," Sirius smiled.

"Hey, Harry. Just out of curiosity, what did Lucius Malfoy whisper to you?" Remus wondered.

"He said something like 'he will return. Enjoy the people and time you have left.' I'm pretty sure that's what he said," Harry told them and they frowned. Harry saw them look at each other and he knew the look immediately. "It's been a long day. I'm gonna go to bed. Night, guys," Harry stood up and went to his room, knowing Remus and Sirius wanted to talk alone.

"Night, kiddo," Sirius watched him disappear into his room.

"Now what? Since Malfoy's a nasty thug he most likely knows if Voldemort's going to come back or not," Sirius sighed and Remus nodded.

"That's true. I'm going to head off to bed. When we get home tomorrow, we have to tell Harry he's related to Bellatrix and the Malfoys. Night, Sirius," Remus got up off the couch and walked to his bedroom.

Harry, who had been listening to the whole conversation, shut his door as quietly as possible, but as Remus walked past it, he saw light coming from the room. He opened the door slowly and peeked inside.

"Harry, are you still awake? We told you to go to bed," Remus walked into the room and saw Harry sitting on his bed, arms crossed. Remus sat at the foot of the bed. "Pup, what's wrong?"

"I'm related to the Malfoys and Bellatrix? How big is this family?" Harry added a bit of sarcasm into the last part and Remus chuckled.

"Yes, you're related to them. This family is huge. Sirius' family is the one that mainly has all these people. You're also related to the Weasleys," Remus nodded.

"Really? How?" Harry sat up straight, uncrossing his arms.

"Sirius is a second cousin once removed of Mr. Weasley and through marriage a cousin to Mrs. Weasley," Remus smiled.

"Wow! I don't get told much," Harry shook his head.

"Sirius and I are slowly telling you stuff, but for now, go to sleep. I mean it," Remus kissed Harry's forehead and headed for the door. "Turn your lamp off," Harry sighed, turned off the lamp, and lay down under the covers. Remus walked out of the room and shut the door. He walked past the living room again to see Sirius sound asleep, then went to his room and fell asleep.

**A/N: Hope you liked it. :] And, before you ask, no, this is not a fourth year story. :P It just starts out that way. **


	2. Chapter 2

It was a year later and it was Harry's fifteenth birthday. In his fourth year, the Triwizard Tournament took place. Viktor Krum, Fleur Delacour, and Cedric Diggory were the three contestants. In the end, Cedric ended up winning. Now it was a year later and it was time for Harry's fifteenth birthday party. The parties had grown from small dinners to having the yard full of people.

"Who's all coming today?" Harry asked during breakfast.

"Dumbledore, of course, McGonagall, Ludo Bagman, Kingsley, Moody, the Weasleys, Hermione, more of your friends from school, the Tonkses, Hagrid, and some more of your professors, I think," Remus answered and Harry grinned widely.

"Awesome. All the Weasleys are coming? Even Bill and Charlie?" Harry wondered.

"Yep. Nymphy will be here too," Sirius nodded and Harry grinned even more.

"Where did Hermione go this summer?" Remus asked as he levitated the dishes to the sink and magically washed them.

"She went to Florida," Harry told them. "When is everyone coming?" Harry changed the subject back to the party.

"They should start arriving around twelve. So go shower," Sirius replied, finishing his coffee.

"I've gotten out some clothes for you to wear. They're on your bed," Remus added and Harry ran upstairs.

"This is going to be a crazy party," Sirius shook his head.

"They've been crazy for the past two years," Remus smiled sitting down again. "Harry has to take his OWLs this year," he added.

"I remember those. I only got seven," Sirius sighed and Remus rolled his eyes.

"What did you get Harry for his birthday? You haven't said anything about it," Remus suddenly changed the subject.

"It's something both me and him can work on since I want to try get it working again," Sirius said shortly. Remus raised an eyebrow. "It's my motorbike. I thought we could work on it together to try and get it working. It's in the garage. That's why he hasn't been allowed in there," he explained.

"He's going to love that," Remus grinned. After about five more minutes, Harry finished and went back downstairs.

"Okay, is everyone gonna be here soon?" Harry sat down again.

"About ten minutes," Remus answered. Harry sighed and walked to the living room when Hedwig flew in.

When Harry was looking at his Hogwarts letter, Remus went upstairs to get Harry's gift, and Sirius went up behind Harry. Harry turned around and saw Sirius. For a couple seconds, Harry looked at Sirius curiously before he finally realized what Sirius was doing. Before he could react, Sirius grabbed Harry around the waist and brought them both to the floor, both laughing. As they wrestled, Sirius got Harry's legs down and held the wrist that was trying to overpower him. Then, after about five minutes, Sirius finally got Harry pinned to the floor.

"Not fair. You're stronger than me," Harry struggled to get free, but was failing.

"But you have more energy," Sirius pointed out.

"Lot of good that does me," Harry said sarcastically.

"Sirius! Harry!" Remus called when he came back downstairs.

"In here," Sirius called back. Remus walked into the living room but didn't see them. "Down here, Moony," Remus looked down to see Sirius holding Harry down while he struggled to get away.

"I see you lost yet again, Harry," Remus laughed and Harry scowled, still struggling. "Come on. Get up. Someone's here so everyone else will be soon as well," Remus added and Sirius finally let Harry up. So Sirius, Harry, and Remus went out the door and saw that the Tonkses were the ones that had arrived.

"Sirius!" Andromeda said happily as she, Nymphadora, and Ted walked over to them.

"Hi, Andromeda," Sirius hugged her. "Ted, good to see you again. Hey, Nymphy," Sirius hugged Ted and Tonks as well.

"Sirius, you know not to call me Nymphadora or Nymphy. It's Tonks. Hey, Remus. Hi there, Harry," Tonks hugged the others as well.

"Where do we put the gifts?" Ted asked.

"Here, I'll take them," Remus took them and put them on a table he had set up near the table with the food.

After a few minutes, the Weasleys arrived with Hermione. Then Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnegan, Luna Lovegood, the whole Gryffindor Quidditch team, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, and the Patil twins appeared. Then Ludo Bagman, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody came. Last it was Hagrid, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Trelawney, and Snape who arrived. As everyone arrived, the gifts piled up.

"Wow! Enough people. I'm surprised Snape came even if he is a friend," Harry grinned, looking at all the people in the yard, chatting and laughing.

"Same, but don't worry about that. This is your party, go have fun," Sirius told Harry who ran over to Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville. While Harry was talking with his friends, Dumbledore came up to Remus and they began talking as Sirius went to talk with Kingsley and Moody.

"Hello, sir. Enjoying yourself?" Remus smiled, drinking some butterbeer.

"Oh, yes. I enjoy myself every year. Now, I am going to try some of Molly's pie before Sirius or the Weasley twins spot it," Dumbledore walked towards the food table and Remus laughed.

"Help yourself, sir," Remus shook his head. The party went on for another half an hour before they opened presents. After that, everyone stayed for another hour and they began to slowly leave. The Weasleys were the last to leave and they left around four.

"That was fun," Harry said as he helped clean up.

"It was. What do you want?" Sirius raised an eyebrow and Harry pretended to look taken back.

"What? I didn't say or do anything," Harry replied as innocently as possible (which wasn't much since he's a Potter).

"You only ever help clean up when you want something. Last time you wanted money to go shopping in Diagon Alley with Ron…at the Quidditch store," Sirius crossed his arms. Remus chuckled to himself as he continued to clean up.

"I only want to join the Order," Harry shrugged and Sirius sighed, Remus stopped cleaning and walked over to them.

"Harry, you know you can't. We've been through this a million times. We've told you why you can't. You're not even supposed to know about the Order," Remus answered before Sirius could.

"But—but—but I—" Harry started to protest but Remus stopped him.

"No! Harry, you can't join! End of discussion," Remus snapped and Harry glared at him. Harry stomped back into the house muttering something about 'being treated like a little kid' and how 'no one trusts him.'

"That went well," Sirius said sarcastically and Remus sighed, going back to cleaning. "Maybe we should just let him join," Sirius told Remus who looked at him.

"Harry is not joining! I won't let him! He's fifteen! He has enough to worry about without this! Even if he was older than fifteen, I am not letting my son join the Order!" Remus snapped quickly.

"What?" Sirius glanced at him and Remus pretended to act like he didn't know what Sirius was talking about. "What was that?" a slight smile was forming on his face.

"What are you talking about? All I said was that I'm not letting Harry join no matter what," Remus avoided Sirius' gaze.

"Moony, you know what I'm talking about. I know you do," Sirius grinned.

"Look, I was talking fast and I'm a little frustrated, it slipped out. That's not what I meant to say," Remus looked at Sirius who was staring at him.

"Say that part again then," Sirius told his friend.

"Fine, I don't know what you're trying to prove though. Even if he was older than fifteen, I am not letting my son…I mean godson…I mean nephew…I mean…argh! I'm going to bed!" Remus stalked into the house and up to his room. Sirius grinned to himself and finished cleaning up. Harry, who had heard the whole thing through his open window, sighed to himself as he sat at the desk.

_That__'__s why he doesn__'__t want me to join. He doesn__'__t want to risk losing me again, like in third year_,Harry thought and smiled. Harry opened his ink, got some parchment and wrote.

_Remus,  
><em>_I know the real and main reason why you don__'__t want me to be in the Order. You__'__ll never lose me.  
><em>_-Harry_

Even though he knew it was easier just to talk to him, Harry wanted to see how Remus who react to the letter. He folded it and put it in an envelope. He quietly walked out of his room and across the hall to Remus'. He slipped the letter under the door and ran back to his room, leaving his door open a crack so he could see.

* * *

><p>Remus heard something slide under his door and picked up the letter. It had no address or anything so he opened it. He quickly read it then he dropped in on his bed. Remus stood up and walked into the hall. Harry quickly and quietly shut his door and sat at his desk, his back to the door as he looked at his photo album. Remus went across the hall and opened Harry's door. Harry pretended not to have heard and didn't move. Remus walked up behind him.<p>

"You know, it's rude to listen to other people's conversations," Remus suddenly spoke as he knelt down beside the chair. Harry smiled and looked at him. "So, you figured it out, did you?" Remus raised an eyebrow and Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Is it just you or Sirius as well?" Harry asked.

"Sirius too. I'm guessing you heard the whole 'son' thing then, huh?" Remus guessed.

"Perhaps," Harry said quietly. "You're acting like it was a bad thing for you to say," Harry added.

"Yeah, well that's the first time I've said it out loud, or in front of Sirius," Remus shrugged.

"I make that mistake with speech a lot. I've said it out loud in front of Ron and Hermione. I've referred to you and Sirius as 'dad' on a few occasions when I've mentioned either of you in a conversation," Harry admitted. "But, I don't correct myself. I never have," he added.

"That's not so horrible. They're your friends and you've never had a father before," Remus tried to turn it around.

"So? You and Sirius are practically brothers and neither of you have ever had a son or daughter. Same principles. Remus, we've been together long enough that it's okay to say these things. You and Sirius are the closest I'm going to get to me real dad, and I'm the closest you and Sirius are going to get to my mum and dad. You shouldn't be afraid to say that," Harry explained.

"Suddenly I feel like the teenager that's being lectured," Remus chuckled.

"Anyways, so can I please join the Order?" Harry asked and Remus got frustrated again.

"No!" he stomped out of the room. Harry glared and began muttering again. Remus walked downstairs where Sirius was at the table.

"I rest my case," Sirius grinned and Remus rolled his eyes. "He's right though. I've said the exact same thing from time to time," Sirius summoned a butterbeer.

"He's still not joining," Remus said matter-of-factly.

* * *

><p>A few days later, another meeting was called and Harry got locked in his room as none of the other kids had come.<p>

"Come on, let me out! I won't come in the meeting! Come on! You know I hate being locked in! Let me out!" Harry pounded on his door after Remus and Sirius had locked the door.

"You can come out as soon as the meeting's over," Sirius told his nephew through the door.

"Let me out!" Harry pounded on the door again.

"Harry! Stop! You know we'll let you out after the meeting! We wouldn't just leave you in there! Just stop!" Remus yelled and Harry backed away from the door. He hardly ever heard his guardians yell, especially Remus, and especially at him, but when they did Harry always got scared. He hated people yelling at him, it reminded him of the Dursleys, and when Remus yelled he sat on his bed, not wanting to be near the door.

When he was sure Harry had stopped, Remus went downstairs for the meeting, Sirius behind him. The meeting went on for half an hour then everyone left. When they were gone, Remus and Sirius went up to Harry's room and unlocked the door.

Harry heard the lock click and he stared at the door as it opened. Sirius stepped in then Remus. Harry was glad to see Sirius but he was afraid Remus was going to yell again.

"The meeting's over. You can come downstairs now," Sirius stated and Harry nodded but made no move to get up. Instead he slightly backed away. "What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked when he saw Harry move away. Harry didn't answer; he just looked at Remus then back to Sirius who caught on.

"Moony, can I talk to you?" Sirius began to walk out of the room with Remus, and then turned back to Harry. "Later we can work on my motorbike," Sirius smiled then left the room.

"In here, Padfoot," Remus said from the drawing room.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked right away.

"I don't know," Remus shrugged.

"Yes, you do, Remus. You keep yelling at Harry and we both know you need to stop because you're scaring him to death," Sirius said.

"I'm frustrated," Remus answered simply.

"It's more than that. The last time you were this frustrated was fourteen years ago. A few days before James and Lily were killed," Sirius stared at his friend.

"Something's going to happen. I don't know what but something bad," Remus replied quietly.

"We'll watch out, don't worry. Right now you need to go apologize to Harry. He's scared as hell right now," Sirius remarked and Remus went to Harry's room_._

_Normally I__'__m the one that does the yelling and scares Harry_, Sirius thought suddenly.

* * *

><p>Remus slowly opened the door and walked into Harry's room.<p>

"Harry?" Remus said quietly and Harry looked up. Remus sighed and sat at the foot of Harry's bed. "Harry, I'm really sorry, pup. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm really sorry," Remus apologized and looked at the fifteen year old.

"It's all right. I heard you and Sirius talking. You can tell when something's going to happen?" Harry questioned.

"Only when something really bad is going to happen. Like when your mum and dad died," Remus nodded.

"No one better die this time," Harry frowned.

"I don't think anyone's going to die this time," Remus shook his head.

"Good. Can I go help Sirius work on his motorbike?" Harry wondered.

"Go ahead. That's why he got it back," Remus grinned.

"Thanks. See you in a bit," Harry jumped up and ran out to the garage. Remus smiled and went to the library to do some reading.

* * *

><p>"Sirius, do you have any idea what you're doing?" Harry asked as he and his godfather bent over the bike to see the damage.<p>

"No, I kinda hoped you knew," Sirius shrugged.

"Helpful," Harry laughed. "What if we did this?" Harry grabbed a screwdriver and took something out. He cleaned it off with a rag then put it back in. "Try it now," Sirius turned the key in the ignition. At first they thought it worked, but then the engine coughed and died down.

"Damn," Sirius cursed. Sirius sighed and watched as Harry tried something else. Harry told Sirius to start it up again but groaned when it died once again.

"Got any other ideas?" Sirius stated.

"No, come over here and help me," Harry pulled Sirius beside him. Sirius and Harry stayed out working on the bike until seven when it had begun to get dark.

Harry walked to the sink and tried to get his hands clean. As Harry was scrubbing his hands again, Sirius and Remus walked into the kitchen.

"It won't come off," Harry turned off the water and dried his hands.

"It came off for me," Sirius held up his clean hands.

"How did you get it off?" Harry responded.

"I dunno. Magic, I suppose," Sirius smirked and Harry rolled his eyes at the obvious fact.

"Well, can you get this off for me?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I might…and I might not," Sirius smirked again.

"Come on, please," Harry whined. Sirius just grabbed a cup and poured himself coffee. "Fine, be a git. Remus!" Harry walked into the living room to Remus and Sirius burst out laughing with Remus.

"Yes?" Remus stated, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Sirius is being a prat. Get this off, please," Harry told his second uncle.

"All right," Remus took out his pipe and muttered some cleaning charms, and Harry's hands were clean.

"Thanks. At least I've got one uncle that's not a git," Harry playfully glared at Sirius who chuckled.

"Come on. Time for dinner. You two…try not to kill each other while I cook dinner," Remus stood up and went to the kitchen.

Sirius looked at Harry thoughtfully and Harry knew what was coming next. Even though he knew it was coming, Harry didn't have time to react.

"Not again. Remus, help!" Harry trailed off laughing as Sirius brought them both down. Sirius got Harry on his back and wrestled him once again. "Hey, no tickling. That's not fair," Harry giggled when Sirius began tickling him. After a couple minutes, Sirius finally got Harry's legs pinned down. "Hey, bugger off," Harry pushed Sirius' hand away which was going to tickle him again. After a few more minutes Sirius got Harry's arms pinned.

"Once again, not fair. You're stronger," Harry squirmed under Sirius, trying to get away. Sirius laughed.

"Come on, time for dinner. Time to let Harry up," Sirius stood up with Harry when Remus called for them. "At least you fought longer this time," Remus grinned and Harry scowled.

"It's not my fault. He's stronger than me and he was tickling me. That's cheating," Harry stated and Sirius giggled. Remus rolled his eyes and shook his head at their immaturity.

"What was that look?" Sirius smiled at Remus.

"Nothing," Remus grinned as they continued eating.

"So, you happy to go back to school?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.

"Kind of. I have my OWLs this year. Not thrilled about that like Hermione," Harry stated.

"True, but you have to at least try. Don't just sit back like James and Sirius did," Remus eyed his nephew as Sirius stared at him with a hurt look.

"Hey! Me and James did not just kick back and relax while we were doing our OWLs. Would you mind watching what you say, Moony?" Sirius glared at his friend.

"Remember our History of Magic exam? Both you and James failed it because you didn't do anything!" Remus glared back. Harry looked between his godfathers uncomfortably.

"That's because we never learned about anything that was on the exam!"

"We learned all of it! You two just didn't listen or study!" Sirius stayed quiet. Harry continued to slowly eat while his uncles stopped and stared at each other.

For the rest of the meal and evening, it was quiet in the house. Remus and Sirius didn't speak to each other and only said the occasional word or sentence to Harry, who mainly stayed in his room, away from the tension.


	3. Chapter 3

It was two months later and all the students were on their way back to Hogwarts.

"Come on, Harry. What's wrong?" Remus asked when he looked at Harry to see he had a hand to his scar.

"Nothing. I'm fine. My scar's only tingling. Nothing serious," Harry took his hand away to try and convince his guardians but put it right back on his forehead.

"Harry?" Sirius said when Harry stopped walking. Just then, Harry fell to the ground and started twisting.

"_You__'__re sure it will work, my Lord?__"__ Lucius Malfoy asked Voldemort._

"_Yes, as soon as Wormtail and Bellatrix get out, they will get the boy and I__'__ll get to him in my own time,__"__ Voldemort hissed as Lucius smirked._

"Harry. Harry, fight it," Sirius told his godson as he and Remus knelt down when they heard Harry speaking, but in another person's voice.

"Harry, don't let him in. Harry, you're strong enough to beat this. Fight it," Remus put a hand on Harry's shoulder to stop the teen from moving.

"_Don__'__t be a fool. You can__'__t beat me,__"__ Voldemort hissed again as Harry tried to break the connection._

"Yes I can," Harry said in his own voice. Suddenly, Harry screamed then went limp, his eyes shut, and his breathing shallow.

"Harry? You all right, kiddo?" Sirius asked as Harry started to stir a couple minutes later.

"Harry? Pup, come on. Stay with us," Remus said softly, using the nickname he had had for Harry since he was little.

"Where are we?" Harry groaned as he tried to get up, but was pushed back by his uncles.

"We're still on Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Kid, you all right?" Sirius repeated.

"I'm fine," Harry tried to sit up again but was pushed back down.

"We know that's a lie, but, whatever," Remus said as he pushed Harry's hair out of his eyes.

"All right, I'm not that fine. Can we get on the train now?" Harry sighed as his guardians finally allowed him to sit up.

"Can't," Sirius replied shortly.

"Why not?" Harry demanded, beginning to stand up but got held down.

"The train's gone. We'll have to Apparate," Sirius told him.

"Perfect," Harry muttered.

"Come on. Slowly stand up. We might as well go now. This way we can get you to the hospital wing and we can go talk to Dumbledore before the rest of the school comes," Remus stated as they helped Harry to stand.

"I don't need to go to the hospital wing! I'm fine, I don't need to see Madam Pomfrey!" Harry cried.

"Harry, you just have to stay there while we get Dumbledore. We'll come back in a little bit. Come on," Remus remarked as Harry grumbled.

"Fine," Harry took Remus' arm as they Apparated to Hogsmeade with Sirius carrying his and Harry's things. They walked through the village and up to the castle. They stopped by the hospital wing and left Harry with his things in the care of Madam Pomfrey as they went to get Dumbledore.

"Really, Madam Pomfrey, I'm fine," Harry said when the nurse told him to lay down.

"You may be but you are in my care until your uncles get back so lie down and stay there. You don't have to sleep, just lay down," Madam Pomfrey said sternly and Harry obeyed, sighing.

* * *

><p>"Hello, you two are quite early. Didn't catch the train today?" Dumbledore smiled the regular crooked grin.<p>

"We missed the train, sir. We were about to get on when Harry collapsed. He started twisting around and talking in Voldemort's voice. After a bit he screamed and went unconscious. He's awake now and in the hospital wing," Remus explained and the two younger men watched the twinkle leave Dumbledore's eyes.

"When's the last time this happened? Or is this the first?" Dumbledore asked.

"It has happened once before. Seven years ago when he was eight. That's all," Sirius answered. Dumbledore nodded, clearly thinking about something.

"Let's go see Harry," he replied and they all walked out of the office to the hospital wing.

* * *

><p>"Come now, Mr. Potter. You're just as bad as your father was when he was in school. Same with that uncle of yours…Sirius. But, no matter what, they always were a joy to have around," Madam Pomfrey smiled at Harry as she tried to look at a cut on his head.<p>

"I cut myself the other day. It's fine. Just a minor cut," Harry responded as Madam Pomfrey finally pulled away.

"Poppy, if you wouldn't mind leaving for a few minutes. The four of us need to talk," Dumbledore stated when he, Remus, and Sirius walked in the wing.

"Harry, I need you to tell me exactly what happened at King's Cross," Dumbledore jumped right to the point as the adults all sat down.

"It's hard to explain. It's as though I went to where Voldemort is and while he was speaking to Lucius Malfoy, I was voicing the conversation out loud," Harry started and his guardians glanced at the headmaster.

"What were Voldemort and Lucius saying?" Dumbledore asked.

"Malfoy said something like 'are you sure it will work?,'Voldemort said 'yes, as soon as Wormtail and Bellatrix get out, they will get the boy and I'll get to him in my own time.'Then Sirius and Remus tried to get me out of it. As they were, Voldemort was like 'don't be a fool. You can't beat me.' Then I said, 'yes I can,'I screamed and passed out, then I woke up a bit afterwards," Harry explained and his godfathers glanced at Dumbledore with even more worry in their eyes.

"Interesting. Do you recall this ever happening before?" Dumbledore asked Harry the same question he asked Remus and Sirius.

"Once before. A long time ago. Seven years ago when I was eight," Harry looked at Sirius and Remus.

"All right. You see fine now but if it happens gain, notify me immediately. See you three at the feast," Dumbledore told them, they nodded, and he walked out of the hospital wing.

"Can I come look at Mr. Potter now?" Madam Pomfrey walked back over to Harry who sighed.

"Yes, Poppy. He's all yours," Remus grinned at Harry's look.

"Good. Now stay still, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey said as she tried to look over Harry again.

"Really. I'm fine. Just a small cut. I'm fine," Harry stated as Madam Pomfrey pulled away from the teen once again.

"You're slightly worse than James and Sirius were. Goodness. At least they actually stayed still after a little while," Madam Pomfrey put her hands on her hips.

"If that's true, you may as well leave, Poppy. He won't stay still," Sirius smiled as Madam Pomfrey walked to her office.

"How did you cut your head?" Remus asked as he looked at the cut Harry wouldn't allow the nurse to see.

"I ran into a door the other day by accident," Harry answered and his godfathers laughed.

"You could definitely pass for James. He always ran into walls and doors," Sirius laughed.

"So did you, Padfoot. You still do," Remus replied and Harry started laughing as well.

"Thanks, Moony. Couldn't have done it without you," Sirius stated sarcastically. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Come on, let's go to the Great Hall. The rest of the school should be arriving soon," Remus stood up with Sirius.

"Good, I'm starving," Harry jumped up. Remus and Sirius chuckled as they walked to the Hall. When they got in the Hall, they saw all the professors were at the staff table except Professor McGonagall who was waiting for the first years. Harry gave a small smile to his Potions master, Severus Snape, who smirked back. Since Harry's third year, after Harry finally got back to Sirius and Remus, the four of them actually became friends…Harry, Snape, and Remus more than Snape and Sirius, of course. Harry had begun to think of Snape as a good friend to the family.

Harry sat down at Gryffindor table as Sirius and Remus went up to the staff table. Harry watched as Sirius began talking to Snape while Remus chatted with Dumbledore about who knows what. After a couple minutes, the doors to the Great Hall opened and students began pouring in.

"Harry!" Harry heard Hermione shriek as she and Ron ran over to him. "Thank goodness! We got so worried when you didn't get on the train."

"What happened, mate?" Ron asked as the two sat down with Harry. Harry sighed and told his friends all about what happened at King's Cross. When he was done, Ron and Hermione were staring at him.

"But that hasn't happened for, what, seven years? Why now all of a sudden?" Ron wondered aloud.

"He's back. Well, not yet, but he's gonna be. That's why. He's excited," Harry stated simply.

"But how on earth is he going to manage that?" Hermione put in, interestedly.

"Dunno. But, it's Voldemort," Ron shuddered, "Ron, get used to the name already. I say it, Hermione says it. Get used to it. Anyways, it's Voldemort, he'll figure out a way," Harry scowled at his best mate. Ron was going to respond but then everyone went quiet as Professor McGonagall entered the Hall with the first years. After the sorting, Dumbledore stood up and the Hall went quiet like always.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts. This year all the professors are the same, but Dolores Jane Umbridge will be here for the year as the Hogwarts High Inquisitor. She will be in—" Dumbledore stopped.

"Hem hem," a high, girly voice said. To Harry and friends the woman looked oddly like a toad.

"Yes, Professor Umbridge?" Dumbledore stated politely.

"I just wanted to say that I also will be able to hand out punishments to students. I will be in classes watching the professors teach and evaluating them while I ask them questions. This way I'll be able to make Hogwarts a better place. It's wonderful to see all your bright faces staring up at me," Umbridge said to the school in her high voice. All the students, even some of the professors, looked around, trying to find the bright and happy face Umbridge was referring to. There was no one that fit her description. They all looked back at Umbridge who was smiling happily and everything was quiet. Everyone in the Hall swore it was so quiet that you could hear a pin fall…onto a cushion! "Also, I will warn all the professors now. I am able to sack you if I want…if I find out what I want. That is all. Thank you," Umbridge had turned to the staff table as she finished then went back to her seat. For a while it stayed quiet before Dumbledore started clapping. A few professors and students followed in suit and also clapped, but the trio saw a bunch only clapped maybe one or two times.

"Well, thank you very much, Professor. She has said everything I was going to, except all students must address Professor Umbridge as 'Professor.' That's all. Let the feast begin," Dumbledore sat down and the feast began.

"Why have I seen that Umbridge woman before?" Harry wondered aloud, frowning at Umbridge

"Yeah, she looks familiar. Doesn't she, 'Mione?" Ron glanced at Hermione, who also was frowning at Umbridge.

"Yes, she does. We've all seen her before," Hermione nodded. For the rest of dinner, the Trio chatted while continuing to frown towards Umbridge. After the meal was over, it was time for bed.

"Time for bed. Good night. Get a good night's sleep, you all have classes tomorrow," Umbridge stated happily instead of Dumbledore. Everyone slightly gasped when Umbridge waved the students off instead of Dumbledore. Everyone stood up and walked to their dorms.

"It's really bothering me," Harry sighed as they walked to Gryffindor Tower.

"What's that?" Hermione looked at him.

"Where I've see Umbridge before," Harry answered.

"You've all seen her. You all saw her in your third year at the trials," Remus told them as he and Sirius came up to the trio.

"That's right. She's the one that had to bring up Remus being a werewolf in third year, when they were making the adoption decision. That's what almost made Fudge not allow the adoption," Harry nodded, looking back at Umbridge.

"She hates half-breeds, that's why," Sirius replied and Remus nodded. "She's evil," he added and the kids giggled.

"See you three tomorrow. G'night," Remus and Sirius hugged Harry, then watched as he walked through the portrait door with his friends who had begun to bicker, and Harry didn't even know what it was about, he just shook his head. He and Ron went up to the boys' dorms while Hermione went to the girls'. The two boys changed into their pajamas and climbed into their four-poster bed.

"Talk to you tomorrow, mate. Night," Ron told Harry and pulled his hangings shut like Harry had.

"Night," Harry laid down, shut his eyes, and fell asleep to the sound of Jack the Ripper and Neville's snoring.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, classes started and everyone wanted to know what classes Umbridge would be in.

"We have Transfiguration, Potions, and Astronomy. Maybe she'll be in one of those classes, not that I'm rooting for her or anything," Hermione stated at breakfast and her friends nodded.

"I wonder if the teachers know when the old toad will be in their class," Ron wondered aloud.

"No, we don't but I'm pretty sure she'll be in my class when I have you," Sirius replied as he and Remus sat with the trio.

"Damn, that—" Harry started but stopped when someone stopped behind him. He turned around and saw Umbridge. "Yes, Professor?"

"What do you think you're doing?" she said sweetly, sending chills down the trio's backs.

"We're eating and talking," Harry answered in an 'it's-so-obvious' tone.

"These tables are for the students, not the professors. You two have to go to the staff table," Umbridge responded, smiling.

"What? Why? They're not doing anything! We're just talking!" Harry shouted.

"Harry, pup, don't," Remus whispered but Umbridge heard.

"Pup? That's not how a professor talks to a students, now is it?" Umbridge raised an eyebrow, looking between Remus and Harry.

"It's called a nickname! He's allowed to call me that!" Harry shouted again.

"Detention, Mr. Potter. My office, six o'clock tonight. Now, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black, go up to the staff table, and Mr. Lupin, don't ever use that nickname on Mr. Potter ever again. It is not the proper way to address a student. Good day," Umbridge smiled at the group and walked away.

"Why the hell did I get detention?" Harry cried so only Ron, Hermione, Sirius, and Remus could hear.

"Harry, you have to watch out with her. Watch what you say. We need to go. See you in class," Sirius said quietly and he and Remus stood.

"But, we don't have you today, Remus," Harry grabbed his hand.

"See you later then. Oh, don't worry about the nickname thing. See you," Remus told him and Harry let go. Sirius and Remus left and went to the staff table.

"Damn it! I hate her! I love that nickname and now I'll never hear it until summer! Now I have a detention with her too," Harry complained, picking at his food.

"We know, Harry. Don't worry about it. I'm sure Remus will use it anyways," Ron answered and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Ron's right, Harry. Come on, time for Transfiguration," Hermione said and Harry sighed as he grabbed his bad and they walked to class. They went to class and Umbridge wasn't there.

"I hate Potions but I don't mind the professor…anymore," Harry chuckled with his friends. "Hi, Professor," Harry smiled at Snape when he entered the class with Hermione and Ron.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," Snape inclined his head, smirking as Harry shook his head and sat down. They went through Potions and Umbridge wasn't there.

* * *

><p>"Astronomy. Sirius said he might have her now," Ron stated and the trio bit their lower lips. They walked up to the Astronomy Tower with other students and went into the classroom.<p>

"Hey, Sir—Professor," Harry started but corrected himself when Hermione elbowed him in the ribs and pointed to the corner of the room. Umbridge was sitting in a chair holding a clip board and quill. When the class started, Sirius spoke but the trio could tell he was nervous. When he put the students to work and sat at his desk, Umbridge went around and asked a few students a couple questions about the class. She walked and stopped on Seamus Finnegan.

"How do you like the class?" she asked.

"I like it a lot. Professor Black is an excellent professor. We all love the class," Seamus told her quietly.

"Thank you," she walked up to Sirius. "How long have you been teaching?" she wondered.

"This is my third year," Sirius said shortly.

"I see. It's said that you're an Animagus and an ex-convict. Care to explain?" Umbridge remarked.

"I am an Animagus. I got registered two years ago, and yes, I am an ex-convict, but I was framed. I was found innocent two years ago. You should know that, you were at the trial," Sirius explained, forcing down his smirk at the end.

"Very well," she nodded, writing something down. Then she sat down again and watched as Sirius helped a few students, writing stuff down every once in a while. At the end of the class, Umbridge walked to Sirius. "You will get the results of this exam in one week," she said quickly and walked out of the room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione glanced at each other then at Sirius, worry etching their faces.

"Come on, mate. Time for lunch," Ron told Harry who nodded, grabbed his stuff, and followed his friends to the Great Hall.

"I hope that went better than it looked," Hermione stated as the trio sat down at Gryffindor table.

"Yeah, next we have History of Magic and double Charms," Harry sighed. They chatted and ate lunch then they walked to the History of Magic class, glad to see Umbridge wasn't there. During the class, Harry had fallen asleep, along with Ron, and unfortunately had another nightmare.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_My Lord, when do you want to begin?__"__Lucius Malfoy asked Voldemort._

_"__We will wait. We__'__ll wait until almost the end of the year. Until…May. At the beginning of May, we__'__ll act,__"__Voldemort hissed and Malfoy nodded, smirking._

_"__Very well. Bellatrix and Wormtail want to know when they should get out,__"__Malfoy stated._

_"__Wait until April. Then they can come,__"__Voldemort said._

_"__Are you sure this is going to work?__"__Malfoy wondered._

_"__Yes, I__'__m sure. This way I relive and I get to finally kill Harry Potter, and since Black and Lupin will end up coming for the kid, I can kill them as well,__"__ Voldemort snapped. Malfoy smirked again and began laughing along with Voldemort._

* * *

><p>Harry's eyes shot open and clapped a hand to his burning scar.<p>

"Harry? Harry, what's wrong?" Hermione asked and Harry could hear the worry in her voice.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Harry answered as he rubbed his scar to stop the pain.

"Did you have another scar dream?" Ron wondered, just as worried.

"Fine, I had a scar dream. Don't worry, I'm fine. Nothing serious," Harry told them. Just then the bell rang.

"Nothing serious? Come on, Harry," Hermione took his hand as he grabbed his bag, and she and Ron dragged him out of the class.

"In here," Hermione opened a door and dragged Harry into a classroom. "Ron, stay here with Harry for a minute. I'll be right back," Hermione ran up a small flight of stairs and into a room. Harry finally looked around and saw his friends had taken him to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom. Then Hermione came back with Remus right behind her.

"Harry! What happened? Hermione didn't say anything," Remus cried as he stopped in front of Harry.

"I'm fine. I fell asleep in History of Magic, that's all," Harry groaned.

"Remus, he had a scar dream. I was going to get Sirius but you were closer. We don't know what the dream was about, just that it was a scar dream."

"Come on," Remus took Harry's hand and pulled him out of the class.

"Where are we going now?" Harry whined.

"We're going to see Dumbledore," Remus said shortly and quickly.

"This should be fun," Harry stated sarcastically. They walked up to Dumbledore's office. Remus said the password at the gargoyle and he knocked on the door.

"Come in," Dumbledore answered. "Hello. How may I help you four?" he smiled.

"Could we get Sirius here as well?" Remus asked and Dumbledore nodded. They watched as Dumbledore called Sirius through the fire and as Sirius climbed out.

"You called?" Sirius smiled as he dusted himself off. "What's going on?" he frowned as he looked at the trio.

"Harry fell asleep in History of Magic and had another of his scar dreams," Remus answered.

"Are you okay, kid?" Sirius asked, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder as he sighed.

"Yes, I'm fine. I swear, you all are overreacting. It was a dream," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Harry, your dreams aren't always just dreams. They're—" Dumbledore started but Harry stopped him.

"I know, I know. They're Voldemort messing with me and sometimes the things I dream are things that are going to happen. I've been told the exact same thing a million times," Harry furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Look, before you ask. The dream was Lucius Malfoy and Voldemort talking. They were talking about a plan that's going to happen in May," Harry added, crossing his arms.

"Did they say what the plan is?" Dumbledore asked the teen.

"No. Just that it was happening at the beginning of May and that in April, Bellatrix and Pettigrew can come," Harry shook his head, shrugging.

"All right. I will talk with Severus and he will go see what's going on. You three may leave for Charms. Also, anymore dreams, please tell me, Harry," Dumbledore told the trio and Harry as they walked out of the office to Charms. "You two should go as well. Your students are probably waiting," Dumbledore smiled at Remus and Sirius who also left.

* * *

><p>That evening, Harry left the Gryffindor common room with his bag at ten to six and walked to a room he had never been to, but Umbridge told him to be there. He sighed and knocked on the door.<p>

"Enter," the familiar sweet voice answered. Harry walked in and looked around. The walls were covered in pink wallpaper and there were pictures of cats and kittens covering the walls. The curtains on the windows were stripped white and pink. Harry held back his laugh and resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow in amusement. "Sit. You will be writing lines for me, Mr. Potter."

"All right," Harry sat down and went to get his quill.

"Oh no. You'll be using a rather special quill of mine," Umbridge took a quill off her desk and placed it in front of Harry, who looked at it curiously as he picked it up. "You will be writing '_I must not tell lies_',"she added. Harry went to start writing but realized something.

"Professor, you haven't given me ink," he stated.

"You won't need any." she said simply. He breathed deeply and began to write. Right after he finished writing '_I must not tell lies_'the first time, pain shot through the back of his left hand. When he looked at his hand, the words he had just written were being etched into the back of his hand. Harry looked back at the parchment and looked at the ink that had come from the quill. He frowned then his eyes grew wide. The quill was using his blood as ink!

"Is something wrong?" Umbridge asked when she saw Harry had stopped writing. Harry shook his head. So he stayed and continued writing for another hour, the back of his hand growing redder as the words got deeper and bled.

"Let's see," Umbridge took his hand and looked at it. "Well, that's good for tonight. You will come here at six for the rest of the week so that the message really sinks in. You may go." Umbridge told him. He grabbed his bag and walked out of the room. Harry didn't feel like going back to the Tower so he took out his Invisibility Cloak and walked through the castle, went outside, and sat on the steps, keeping the cloak on.

* * *

><p>"Shouldn't Harry be back from detention by now?" Ron asked.<p>

"He should be," Hermione nodded.

"Maybe the witch kept him back," Ron suggested. "Sorry," he added at Sirius and Remus' looks.

"Here, I know," Sirius went up to the boys' dorms then came back down holding a piece of old parchment. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he pointed his wand at the parchment. Lines spread across the paper. "He's not with Umbridge," Sirius frowned and Remus looked at the map as well.

"There he is. He's sitting outside on the stairs," Remus pointed to a dot marked 'Harry Potter'.

"Let's go," Sirius and Remus stood, handing the map to Hermione and Ron. "We'll be back in a minute." They left.

* * *

><p>Harry, still concealed under his cloak, sighed as he watched the last of daylight fall. He looked down at his hand which was throbbing and red, but had finally stopped bleeding. As he sat on the stairs looking out into the darkness, Harry's mind traveled to memories, happy and sad.<p>

He thought about how happy he had been when Remus and Sirius took him away from the Dursleys at five years old. About meeting Ron and Hermione. About learning what had really happened on Halloween night fourteen years ago. Getting sorted into Gryffindor with Hermione and Ron. Going home every Christmas to be with his godfathers. Going on his first adventure to get the Philosopher's Stone with his friends.

He was just starting the think about his second year when he heard footsteps coming up behind him.

_Damn it_, Harry silently cursed, staying still and quiet under the Cloak.

"Hey there, kiddo," he heard Sirius say as he and Remus sat beside him, taking off the Cloak.

"Hey," Harry grinned sheepishly.

"What are you doing out here? It's cold," Sirius asked as Harry put the cloak away.

"I wasn't tired and I don't have homework, so I just came out here to relax. To think," Harry answered, continuing to look out into the dark of the night.

"We're not that bad to be around, are we?" Remus joked and Harry giggled.

"No, I was just thinking. You should try it, Sirius, although we don't want you to hurt yourself," Harry laughed as Sirius scowled at the teen.

"Lay off, Harry," he smiled as he tickled Harry.

"So, what were you thinking about?" Remus wondered.

"Everything. I was just getting to second year when you guys came," Harry told them.

"You seem to think about the past a lot," Sirius replied thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I know. Only because my past was actually good after I was five," Harry smiled.

"Come on. Let's get you inside before you get sick," Remus stated as Harry sneezed.

"All right," Harry said and sneezed again. So Harry grabbed his bag, and the three walked back to the Tower, only to find Ron and Hermione still looking at the map and laughing.

"Hey, guys. Fred and George are running from Filch and Mrs. Norris," Ron laughed as Remus, Sirius, and Harry crowded around to see.

"What did they do?" Harry asked, laughing as he watched Fred and George's dots move around.

"They gave Umbridge one of their fake wands. They came in here and told us what they were doing," Hermione answered and they all laughed again.

"Here they come," Sirius said and they all looked up as the portrait door opened.

"Help!" George laughed as the twins ran over to the four.

"Look, Umbridge is coming this way," Harry pointed to Umbridge's dot which was heading for the Tower.

"Mischief managed," Ron pointed his wand at the map. All the lines disappeared and Harry hid the map behind his back. Umbridge then walked into the common room.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"Who, Professor?" Hermione replied innocently.

"The Weasley twins," she growled.

"Haven't seen them," Ron shrugged.

"What are you two doing here?" Umbridge eyed Remus and Sirius. The trio froze and their eyes grew wide.

"We always come in here. We're just talking," Remus told her.

"You're not allowed to be here. Leave," Umbridge ordered and the trio's mouths dropped open.

"What? They always come here!" Ron shouted.

"Ron, no," Harry whispered.

"Mr. Weasley, you will join Mr. Potter in detention for the rest of the week," Umbridge stated and walked away.

"We should go. We don't want you three getting into anymore trouble. See you tomorrow," Sirius said as he and Remus stood and the trio gazed at them sadly.

"Bye," Harry replied as he hugged his uncles.

"Bye," Remus told them quickly then left with Sirius.

"I really hate her," Hermione sighed.

"Ron, you really shouldn't have said anything," Harry told his best friend.

"Well, you probably would have said something if I didn't," Ron responded.

"Actually, I wasn't going to say anything because I already have a week's detention," Harry frowned.

"Yeah, but now we can spend detention together. It'll be awesome," Ron smiled but it faltered when Harry looked at him with a look Hermione and Ron knew too well.

"That's no bonus, mate. This isn't the regular detention," Harry answered and his friends looked at him curiously.

"What do you? You said all you have to do is write lines for her," Hermione frowned.

"You do write lines, but there's a catch," Harry replied. To show them what he meant, he held up his hand, revealing the words embedded on his hand. They gasped. "Umbridge makes you use a special quill," Harry said.

"Harry, you have to report this. Tell Dumbledore or Snape. Tell someone," Hermione remarked, staring at her friend who was rubbing his hand.

"No, I'm not letting her have satisfaction," Harry shook his head.

"At least tell Remus or Sirius, mate," Ron stated.

"No, I'm not telling anyone and neither are you. Promise you won't tell anyone," Harry eyed them. Ron and Hermione sighed then made the promise. So they stayed up and chatted until ten and then they all went to bed.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the week up until Friday, Harry and Ron attended their two hour detentions with Umbridge. By Friday, both hands were flaming red, Harry's more than Ron's.<p>

* * *

><p>Harry and Ron were walking back to Gryffindor Tower when they ran into Snape. They quickly hid their hands.<p>

"Hello. What are you two doing wandering the corridors?" Snape asked.

"Hey, Severus. We just came from detention with Umbridge," Harry answered, not bothering to correct himself and Snape didn't either.

"What are you hiding?" Snape asked again.

"Nothing," they both replied quickly

"Harry," Snape said, raising and eyebrow.

"Nothing," Harry stated again.

"Can I see your bag?" Snape referred to Harry's. He gave Snape his bag and pulled out a mirror. Harry groaned with Ron. "Who would have the mirror right now, Harry?"

"Sirius," Harry mumbled.

"Sirius Black," Snape said into the mirror and Sirius' head appeared.

"Hey, Severus. What's going on?" Sirius smiled at Snape.

"Sirius, Harry and Ron are hiding something and they won't tell me. Maybe you'll have better luck," Snape handed the mirror to Harry who sighed.

"Harry, Ron. What's going on?" Sirius asked, still smiling.

"Nothing, Sirius. Really," Harry lied.

"Harry, come on, kiddo," Sirius pushed. Harry looked at Ron and nodded. They both held up their hands to reveal the deep words '_I must not tell lies_'on the back of their hands.

"How did that happen?" Snape asked as he and Sirius stared at the words, which were bleeding.

"Detention with Umbridge. She makes you write lines with a quill of hers and it uses your blood for ink," Ron responded.

"A Blood Quill? Those are only available in Knockturn Alley," Snape said, confused.

"She keeps making you have detention until she believes'the message has sunk in'," Harry put in.

"Why didn't you tell anyone? Me or Remus or Severus?" Sirius wondered.

"I didn't want to give her the satisfaction, and then I made Ron and Hermione swear not to tell anyone," Harry replied.

"I'll go get a potion for your hands," Snape told the teens then walked away.

"You really should have said something," Sirius eyed Harry and Ron.

"I know. We would have…eventually," Ron smiled with Harry as Sirius grinned, rolling his eyes.

"Here, put this on your hands tonight and tomorrow night. See you tomorrow, Harry, Ron. See you, Sirius," Snape gave Harry some potions, bid goodbye, then walked away.

"I'll see you two tomorrow. Night. Oh, and I'm telling Remus about how you've been spending your detentions," Sirius smirked at Ron and Harry's looks.

"Fine. Night, Sirius," Harry groaned. So Ron and Harry walked back to the Tower and, before going to bed, applied the potion to their hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: A part of this chapter gets confusing (you'll know what part I mean), but it's supposed to be like that. :]**

A month later, Harry had gotten at least thirty more detentions from Umbridge and the words were scarring his hand.

It was Saturday morning and it was sunny out with a warm breeze. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were eating breakfast while chatting with Neville Longbottom, Ginny, Dean Thomas, and Seamus Finnegan.

"You had detention with her too?" Ron asked Dean.

"Oh yeah. I got in trouble for cursing after I tripped and fell in the hall on my way to Transfiguration," Dean nodded.

"That old toad is evil," Neville stated ad the others nodded.

"She is. Even though it's faded, my hand is scarred with the damn words," Harry told the group.

"Have any of you like thought about hexing her into oblivion?" Seamus chuckled. The others nodded and they all laughed.

After breakfast, Harry, Ron, and Hermione went up to finish their Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures homework. Hermione had quickly finished and had helped her friends, but it took long and they didn't finish until lunch.

"That homework took two hours," Ron sighed as they walked to the Great Hall.

"It probably wouldn't have taken that long if you hadn't thrown your Herbology book across the common room. Considering it took you twenty minutes to find it again," Hermione smiled as Ron scowled and Harry laughed. Just as they were going into the Hall, Harry saw someone down the corridor, but when he shut and opened his eyes, the person was gone. Harry stared down the corridor for a few seconds then shrugged it off and followed his friends who were still arguing. Near the end of the meal, Remus and Sirius had quickly gone to Gryffindor table.

"Hey, want to walk outside after lunch? It's nice out," Sirius asked quickly.

"Definitely," the trio agreed.

"See you after," Remus smiled and left with Sirius. Twenty minutes later, lunch ended and the trio met Sirius and Remus at the stairs leading outside.

"How are classes going?" Remus asked as they began walking around.

"Pretty good. Trelawney…Professor Trelawney has finally lain off the Grim," Harry answered and the others chuckled.

"Umbridge was in Divination yesterday. We get the feeling she's getting sacked," Ron put in.

"Ron," Remus smiled as Ron shrugged.

"Won't be surprised. She's a right fraud. You can see right through her," Hermione agreed with Ron.

"See," Ron said and the others rolled their eyes.

"Hermione. Just because you don't like a teacher, doesn't mean you have to talk ill about them. Look at Severus. At the beginning, you three hated him, but now you're all friends," Remus slightly scolded the witch.

"That's because he helped with the adoption case and got me back," Harry told them.

"Which is good. I would have gone mental without having someone to bug. I certainly can't bug Moony. He'd hex me into next month," Sirius ruffled Harry's hair who pushed him away. Remus glared at Sirius while the trio laughed loudly.

"Still, even though she may be a fraud, she's still a professor here," Remus stated.

"But she's not _my _professor," Hermione smirked at Harry and Ron.

"Ha ha," Ron said sarcastically. Just then, water hit Ron in the side of the head. "Hey! What the hell?" he cried.

"Oops," Harry shrugged, laughing as he stood by the water. Ron glared at him. He and Hermione walked over to the lake, and the trio had a huge water fight. Sirius and Remus watched as the trio laughed and had the fight for twenty minutes, and chatted.

"You should tell Harry about the Ministry, Padfoot," Remus told Sirius as they watched as the trio soaked each other.

"I know, but he'll be so mad and upset. He loves having us both working here," Sirius sighed as he saw Ron almost got pushed into the lake.

"I know that, but maybe he'll be happy," Remus replied. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "All right. He won't be but he'll get over it," Remus said at his look. Just as Sirius was going to speak, the trio came over laughing and soaking wet.

"You look like you had fun," Sirius laughed.

"Yeah, can you dry us off now?" Harry nodded, chuckling. Sirius and Remus took out their pipes and dried the teenagers off.

"Thanks. That was so much fun," Hermione smiled with the guys.

"It was, except when you almost pushed me in the lake. If I went in you two were coming in with me," Ron pointed at Harry who was giggling.

"Anyways, Harry, we need to talk," Sirius stated to Harry who, still smiling widely, turned and looked at him.

"About what?" Harry grinned. To Remus and Sirius, it almost looked like the teens wanted to run and bounce around.

"Harry, umm…hey, kid," Sirius smiled and Remus shook his head.

"Hi…" Harry said slowly, slightly laughing.

"Kid, remember how in your third year Kingsley and Ludo offered me a…Summer?" Sirius cried suddenly.

"Summer?" Remus repeated.

"Who?" Harry asked, confused.

"What?" Hermione wondered, just as confused.

"Who, what, where, when, why? Huh?" Ron said quickly.

"What?" Hermione and Harry looked at Ron, their eyebrows furrowed.

"Huh?" Ron stated.

"Huh?" Harry cried.

"What?" Ron continued.

"What?" Harry and Hermione frowned.

"I don't know," Ron shrugged.

"Argh!" Hermione and Harry groaned loudly.

"Summer!" Sirius repeated again.

"Summer? Summer Watts?" Remus stared at him.

"Yes, Summer Watts! Pay attention, Moony!" Sirius shouted at his best friend.

"Who?" the trio yelled at the adults.

"Okay, everyone slow down," Remus breathed.

"Summer Watts!" Sirius cried.

"You have got to be joking!" Remus remarked.

"Who?" the trio shouted again.

"Summer Watts!" Sirius repeated loudly.

"What? Who?" the trio answered, getting annoyed.

"Summer!" both Sirius and Remus yelled.

"Argh!" Harry groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

"All right, everyone stop and slow down," Remus stated, wanting to stop.

"It's Summer!" Sirius cried.

"Who?" the trio exclaimed after Sirius spoke.

"Sirius!" Remus groaned and glared at Sirius.

"Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," a woman walked up to the group. She had brown, shoulder-length hair and green eyes. She was around Sirius' height.

"You're the one I saw in the corridor when I was going to lunch," Harry pointed to her.

"Yes, I am," the woman nodded.

"Come here, pup," Remus pulled Harry to his side and put an arm around him.

"What are you doing here, Summer?" Sirius asked, inching closer to Harry and Remus.

"I'm here to see you and Remus…and I wanted to meet Harry," the girl called Summer answered. Harry's eyes grew wide and he looked between his godfathers. Sirius automatically took Harry's hand while keeping his eyes on Summer.

"Why did you come back?" Remus asked her, tightening his grip on Harry.

"I wanted to apologize and, of course, to meet my godson," Summer replied, looking at them.

"What?" Harry gaped. "Wait, wait, wait. I have a godmother?" Harry turned on his uncles who sighed.

"Yes, Summer, here, Summer Watts is your godmother," Sirius nodded.

"I thank you so much for telling me about this," Harry said loudly and sarcastically.

"You—you never—you never told him about me?" Summer asked Sirius and Remus sadly and slightly angry.

"One furious person at a time, please," Sirius groaned. "Why in the hell should we have told him about you?" Sirius glared at Summer.

"Because I'm his bloody godmother whether you two like it or not!" Summer shot back.

"Why should we let you near him after what you did?" Remus shouted.

"What I did? What about you two? You completely bailed on me when I needed you!" Summer cried.

"We bailed because of what you became!" Remus replied angrily.

"Summer, why the hell are you here? Why are you really here?" Sirius frowned.

"I'm here for my share in taking care of Harry. He can't be raised by two men. He needs a woman figure around as well," Summer answered and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! They're doing fine and I do have a woman figure in my life! I have Hermione and Tonks!" Harry crossed his arms. "One question. What did you do?" Harry added, staring at Summer.

"We can all answer that," the three adults told him and Harry looked at them, waiting.

"Okay. Summer and I were supposed to get married. That's how she got named your godmother and because she was Lily's very best friend. But, just days before the wedding, Summer came to all of us with some interesting news," Sirius began.

"What was it?" Harry asked, looking at Summer out the corner of his eyes. Sirius looked at Summer and shook his head so Remus continued.

"She came to us and told us that she had become a Death Eater, that she had joined Voldemort. She said she had wanted to do it for a long time. She called off the wedding and broke up with Sirius, but she apologized and asked if we could still be friends. We all left and we all never saw her again. Now, she's blaming us for bailing on her when she's the one who bailed on us!" Remus finished.

"Well, excuse me for going after my dream!" Summer yelled.

"Your dream was to kill people and work for someone who wants your godson dead so he can take over the world? Something wrong with you," Sirius thundered.

"Whatever! Anyways, it wasn't what I thought so I left and came here hoping to work things out with you," Summer calmed her voice slightly.

"We can see that's not going to happen, now is it?" Sirius growled..

"Let me figure this out. You two were supposed to get married but then days before the wedding she joins Voldemort and now she wants to be your best friend again?" Harry straightened everything out.

"Pretty much, yeah," Remus nodded.

"Wow," Harry laughed, shaking his head.

"Look, Harry, I'm so sorry for all that. I really am," Summer knelt before Harry and took his hands. Sirius went to grab Harry, but Remus stopped him.

"Why should I believe you over the people who have cared for me since I was little? They're the ones who tried and have succeeded in raising me while you were off, running around with Voldemort, killing millions of innocent people! Why should I want to know you at all when you never tried?" Harry tore his hands away from Summer and stared down at her.

"I tried to get away. I really did, but every time I tried, I got caught and they threatened to kill me if I left," Summer looked up at Harry with pleading eyes.

"Then maybe they should kill you. I may mean everything to you but you mean nothing to me. Remus and Sirius are the ones that mean the world to me because they have and still are trying and you're not doing anything. I don't care that you're here. You're too late. It's too late," Harry backed up and in between Remus and Sirius who rubbed his back.

"Sirius, please. Don't do this. I want to be a part of all this," Summer stood and everyone saw her eyes were filled with tears.

"Summer, I've made my decision and so has Harry. To me and Remus, it's Harry's choice, and if he chose to know you, we would accept that, but he didn't. He's made his decision," Sirius replied, taking Harry's hand.

"Harry, please," Summer stuttered.

"Don't ever come near us again. Never contact us. I don't and never want to know you. You wasted too much time, I want you to leave and never come back," Harry finally said and Summer broke out crying.

"No! I'm sorry, kiddo. I'm sorry," Summer cried.

"Go away and never come back. Oh, and never call me 'kiddo,' that's Sirius nickname for me," Harry stated as the woman continued crying.

"F—f—fine. I'll leave and never come back. I just want you to know what you're giving up," Summer glared at them.

"From what I've heard, I won't be missing much. Especially considering I've got it all right here," Harry smiled as Ron and Hermione stepped forward. Summer looked at all their faces and saw the hatred, so she turned and ran off.

"We are so—" Remus began to tell Harry when Summer was gone.

"Don't bother. I'm still mad that you didn't tell me about her. See you all later," Harry stopped his uncle, then turned and left.

"Perfect. Now how am I supposed to tell him?" Sirius groaned, turning to Remus.

"Tell him what?" Ron asked.

"Sirius got offered the Ministry job again and he's taking it," Remus told them and they sighed.

"He won't take that well," Hermione said sadly.

* * *

><p>Harry sighed as he walked down a corridor. Just as he was going to head back to the common room, he heard a noise and looked behind him to see a door had appeared. He looked at it curiously then walked through the door.<p>

"Wow. I think I just found the Room of Requirement," Harry whispered to himself, looking around. He looked to his right and saw a large, rectangular mirror. He looked at it then slowly walked towards it. As Harry walked to the mirror, figures began to move then take form. In the mirror, there was Sirius, Remus, Ron, and Hermione. Harry listened as they talked with each other.

"We didn't tell Harry about Summer because we didn't want her to hurt him like she hurt us," Remus told the teens.

"We knew that if we told him about her, he would have wanted to see her, and we didn't want Summer anywhere near Harry after what she did to us," Sirius added.

"You should be telling Harry this, not us," Hermione smiled.

"How? We don't know where he went and he won't talk to us," Sirius responded.

"Check the map. He'll be in the grounds somewhere," Ron suggested.

"Let's go," Hermione said and they walked back to the castle. Harry watched as the mirror went blank. His gaze fell to the floor.

_I need to sit down_, he thought. Just then a chair appeared and he sat down. _I__'__m just going to stay here for a bit_, he added to himself and sat back, getting comfortable.

* * *

><p>"Okay. We've looked through the map twice, and Harry's nowhere on it," Remus put the map down after searching is again.<p>

"He has to be. He has to be in the grounds. Doesn't the map show every room and everything?" Ron shook his head.

"Not every room. It doesn't show the Room of Requirement," Sirius told them.

"Maybe he's there. If not, I'd say check at home," Ron replied. Remus and Sirius nodded, then got up, and left to find Harry. They walked down a corridor then stopped as a door appeared. Sirius slowly opened the door and he and Remus walked in.

"Harry? Harry, are you here?" Sirius whispered.

"Over here," they heard Harry say. They walked through the room and found Harry sitting on a chair, in front of the mirror. "What's up?" the teen looked at his guardians.

"You do know why we didn't tell you about Summer, don't you?" Remus looked in Harry's eyes. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, I heard you tell Ron and 'Mione," Harry said.

"How?" both Remus and Sirius asked, confused. Harry chuckled and pointed to the mirror.

"Oh, Sirius. Before Summer came and we all started yelling and all that…what were you going to tell me?" Harry asked and Sirius froze.

"Oh, that's—that's not important right now. It can wait," Sirius answered, looking at Remus who raised an eyebrow.

"Okay. Let's go for dinner. I'm starving and so is Sirius," Harry laughed with Remus as Sirius' stomach growled.

"Let's just go before I decide to throw Harry to the squid," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Harry punched Sirius in the arm.

"Ow!" Sirius whined as he rubbed his arm.

"Come on," Remus sighed and they all went to the Great Hall.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I've gotten some questions about Summer. Yes, she did just randomly appear and yes, she will play a role later on. Quite a big role too. Hope that helps. :]**

"Harry, come on or we're going to miss the train," Hermione called to Harry, who grabbed his stuff and ran to the carriages with his friends. It was two months after the meeting of Summer Watts and it was now Christmas holidays. Harry, like always, was going home with Sirius and Remus.

The trio ran to the Hogwarts Express and hopped on. They found a compartment, got comfortable, and began chatting as the train began to move.

"Have you noticed that every time I ask Sirius what he was going to tell me that day when Summer came, he always changes the subject or leaves?" Harry stated.

"Yeah. It's weird," Ron nodded.

"Sirius and Remus have both been acting odd since that day, and it's been two months," Harry said.

"But look who it is. It's Remus and Sirius. They're Marauders. Maybe they're still shocked about seeing Summer," Hermione replied.

"I don't think so. They seemed to have forgotten about that. It has something to do with what Sirius was going to tell me that day. I know it," Harry told them and they agreed. An hour later, the train stopped at Platform Nine and Three Quarters and the trio jumped off with their stuff. Before they went through the barrier, they ran into Fred, George, and Ginny and walked through with them.

* * *

><p>"Sirius, you have to tell him. He's going to start wondering every time you get called to work," Remus said to Sirius. They were standing at King's Cross waiting for Harry to arrive.<p>

"I know, but it's so hard to tell him, Moony," Sirius sighed.

"I know, but he has to know, Padfoot. He has to," Remus replied. Sirius nodded. They watched as a group of redheads walked through the barrier with a head of messy black hair and busy brown hair in the middle.

"Hey, guys," Harry smiled as he walked to his godfathers. "Bye, Ron. Bye, Hermione," Harry waved to his friends.

"Let's go," Remus took Harry's things, Harry grabbed Sirius' arm, and they Apparated to the cottage. They went in and while Harry unpacked, the two older wizards talked over a cup of coffee.

"Sirius, I know you love Harry and you don't want to make him mad, as do I, but you have to tell him that you work at the Ministry now. Not Hogwarts," Remus said to his friend across the table.

"Fine. I'll do it tonight. I swear, Moony," Sirius nodded.

"Hey. What are you talking about?" Harry asked as he walked down the stairs.

"Nothing. I'll be right back," Sirius said quickly and ran upstairs.

"Okay. That was weird and more weird than normal for Sirius," Harry raised an eyebrow as Remus sighed, shook his head, and finished his coffee.

That night, Sirius sat in the living room and watched as Remus sat on the couch with Harry, and helped him with his Transfiguration homework. He thought back to when James and Lily were alive. It was amazing how much Harry was like them, not just in looks, but his personality and bravery as well. He had gotten Lily's brains and her temper, as well as having gotten the stubbornness from both his parents. Sirius had made a promise to Lily and James, and he intended on keeping it.

"Padfoot!" Remus slapped Sirius upside the head.

"What?" Sirius cried, rubbing his head. He glared at Harry who was laughing.

"Harry wants to know what you were going to tell him, and you had better tell him this time," Remus eyed Sirius who was still rubbing his throbbing head.

"Fine. You didn't have to hit me for it. Jeez," Sirius glared at Remus who shrugged as he went to the kitchen. "Harry, that day when Summer came I was telling you something. What I was telling you was that I—" Sirius started but then an owl landed on his knee." I have to go. See you later," Sirius ran outside and Apparated.

"Argh! You know what? I'm tired of this. What does Sirius have to tell me?" Harry turned on Remus who jumped.

"Harry, what Sirius has been trying to tell you is that he doesn't work at Hogwarts anymore," Remus sighed.

"Yes he does. He's been there everyday except one but he told me he was sick," Harry frowned.

"He's not a professor anymore. He got offered the Head Auror job at the Ministry again and this time he took it. He quit his job at Hogwarts and is now the Head Auror. I'm sorry, Harry," Remus told the teen.

"Oh. Don't be sorry for me, be sorry for Sirius when he gets killed," Harry ran upstairs to his room and Remus sighed.

_Harry's going to be yelling at Sirius when he gets home_, Remus thought.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kingsley, Moody. Good to see you again," Sirius greeted as he shook hands with the Aurors.<p>

"Welcome back, Black. You have to same office just it's been customized with a door and it's bigger," Kingsley smiled.

"Brilliant. So why did you call me here?" Sirius asked as they walked to his office. Kingsley and Moody smirked as they opened the door that said '_Sirius Black: Head Auror_'on it.

"For the paperwork, of course," Moody laughed with Kingsley as Sirius gaped at the stack of papers on his desk.

"You have got to be kidding me," Sirius stared at Moody and Kingsley.

"Nope. You have to sign those," Kingsley shook his head, still laughing.

"I'm already in hell. You know I hate paperwork, right?" Sirius stated as he sat down and picked up a quill.

"Oh yeah, we know. We remember when you threw a stack in the fire and threw a stack all over the place, and then walked out of the Ministry," Moody replied and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"We'll come check on you in a couple hours, Black. You should have at least half of them done by then," Kingsley smirked and Sirius scowled as the other Aurors left.

_I wonder if Harry just forced Remus to tell him that I work here. If Moony did tell him, I'll be getting yelled at tonight_, Sirius sighed as he began the paperwork.

* * *

><p>That night at one in the morning, Sirius quietly opened the door to the cottage and walked in. As he was walking to the kitchen, he saw light coming from the living room. Sirius stepped into the living room and saw Remus sitting on the couch, rubbing Harry's arm slowly while the teen slept in his lap. The new Auror watched as Remus turned the TV off as Harry stirred. Remus looked up and spotted Sirius.<p>

"Hey. What's he still doing up—er—or why isn't he sleeping in his room?" Sirius asked sitting in a chair.

"He insisted on staying up until you got home. I tried to get him to go to bed, but, well, you know how stubborn he is. I told him that you work at the Ministry now. He wasn't too happy. He really seems to think you're going to get killed," Remus said quietly, still rubbing Harry's arm gently.

"Who can blame him? It is the Ministry, and he's lost so much already, who can blame him for not wanting to risk losing someone else? I'll talk to him, or at least listen since I'm pretty sure I'll get yelled at," Sirius grinned with Remus.

"Harry? Come on, pup. Sirius is home. Wake up," Remus whispered, lightly shaking the teen.

"What's goin' on?" Harry mumbled. Sirius chuckled silently.

_Exactly how James was when he woke up. Completely out of everything_, Sirius shook his head.

"Harry, Sirius is here. I know it's late but we need to talk," Remus sat Harry up who seemed to be wide awake.

"It's not late. It's fine," Harry muttered, crossing his arms. Sirius and Remus exchanged glances.

"Harry, I know you didn't want me to go to the Ministry but I love it there. Come on, kiddo. Please accept this," Sirius looked deep into Harry's eyes which looked back even deeper.

"But what happened to the whole only visiting and never going back permanently thing at the World Cup in the summer?" Harry pouted and the older wizards held back the urge to laugh at him. It wasn't the time to laugh at Harry's expressions.

"Look, you'll still see me and we can use the mirrors and I'll drop in for visits, and you can come home some weekends. We'll always write letters, and don't forget, Remus will still be there," Sirius listed things they could do.

"Yeah, until Umbridge fires him," Harry snorted. Sirius and Remus looked at each other. It wasn't going how they had hoped.

"Why is Umbridge going to fire me? She hasn't even been in my class yet," Remus wondered.

"It's Umbridge. She's already sacked Trelawney. She'll probably sack you for being a werewolf still, even though you're not. She hates half-breeds and wants to kill them all," Harry's eyebrows furrowed in slight anger.

"I don't think she thinks that strongly of them—" Sirius began.

"Oh, yes she does. She told me in detention. Don't worry, I didn't hex her into oblivion. I was thinking it though," Harry smiled a little.

"Can we get back on topic?" Sirius stated. "Okay. So I am at the Ministry now and I'm staying. I swear, I won't get myself killed," Sirius answered.

"How do you know you won't get killed?" Harry looked at him.

"Because I'm not stupid enough to get myself killed. Harry, I loved working at Hogwarts because I was always with you, but I love the Ministry too," Sirius replied, smiling.

"Can I go to work with you sometimes?" Harry grinned, uncrossing his arms. Remus and Sirius smiled. Harry was finally okay with the Ministry.

"Sometimes, but only when it's not to dangerous," Sirius nodded.

"Aww, but then I'm missing all the good stuff," Harry whined.

"Maybe sometimes you could…" Remus stared at him. "Oh no, you can't come when it's dangerous," Sirius said at Remus' look.

"Fine," Harry sighed.

"Now that we have that worked out, you need to get to bed. Night, Harry. Love you," Remus gave Harry a one-armed hug and kissed the side of his head.

"Night, kid," Sirius hugged him.

"Night. Love you," Harry walked up to his room.

"Well, we should get to bed as well," Remus stood with Sirius. "So what did you have to do?" Remus asked before they went to their rooms.

"I had to do a bunch of paperwork," Sirius whined as Remus laughed.

"It can't have been that bad, could it? You're still alive," Remus smirked.

"Barely. Didn't help that Moody and Kingsley kept popping in and being the sarcastic prats they are," Sirius rolled his eyes and Remus chuckled.

"Talk to you tomorrow, Padfoot," Remus walked into his room.

"Night, Moony," Sirius went to bed.

* * *

><p>Remus felt like he had just fallen asleep when he got woken up by Harry who had crawled onto his bed and had sat, staring at him for fifteen minutes.<p>

"What's up, pup?" he mumbled into his pillow.

"Nothing," Harry said innocently, but continued looking at his uncle.

"Harry, what do you need?" Remus rolled over onto his back.

"Nothing," Harry repeated.

"Harry, you don't come in here every morning and stare at me. You either want something or you need something. What is it?" Remus sat up and looked at Harry.

"I'm hungry," Harry stated.

"Then get Sirius to cook something," Remus sighed.

"I'd rather keep my insides on the inside of my body, not on the floor," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Harry," Remus warned.

"Sorry. Besides, Sirius can't cook anything. He's not here," Harry apologized, hiding his grin.

"Where is he?" Remus frowned.

"Work. He got called almost as soon as I got up," Harry told him.

"Why don't you cook something yourself? You know how to cook things," Remus pointed out.

"Are you trying to get me to burn the house down?" Harry raised an eyebrow. Remus chuckled.

"Why were you up so early?" Remus asked. Normally Remus was the first one up.

"Sirius had knocked over that lamp in his room and he started cursing," Harry shrugged. Remus sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Come downstairs and I'll make you some breakfast. Oh, let Hedwig out," Remus got out of bed.

"Already did," Harry answered.

"Did Sirius say what was going on?" Remus asked as he made food and Harry sat down.

"No. He went all parental. He said he'll tell me what you and he feel is appropriate and how much you think is necessary. So I won't be getting told much," Harry said as Remus sat down and gave Harry his food.

"Harry," Remus smiled as he drank some coffee and watched the teen.

"Well, you know it's true," Harry smirked.

"So? We could choose not to tell you anything," Remus pointed out.

"Then you both are just being mean," Harry grinned, eating.

"Exactly. You're lucky we are telling you things," Remus chuckled.

"You're being really mean, Remus," Harry said in a small voice that made him sound like he was four. Remus laughed.

"I know," Harry rolled his eyes as Remus ruffled his hair.

"Can I go to Diagon Alley with Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Not alone. You can go but I'm coming with you," Remus stated.

"Kay," Harry nodded. "While we're out, can we go see Sirius?" he added.

"You can't miss him already? It's only been a few hours, and you can't say it's because you've never see the Ministry before because I know you have. You've seen it enough times to give yourself tours," Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Hermione and Ron haven't seen it. Okay, Hermione hasn't. Okay, okay. We've all seen it. Yeesh. Stop staring at me. You're scaring me," Harry said as Remus stared at him, as though looking down into his core.

"Always works. Yes, we can go see Sirius. I'm sure Kingsley and Moody will be happy to see you again," Remus nodded. As they were talking a loud _crash_came from upstairs, making then both jump.

"What the bloody hell was that? Sorry," Harry said loudly.

"I need to talk with Sirius about his use of language around you. Stay here," Remus frowned as Harry blushed. He took out his wand and went upstairs. He looked in his and Sirius' bedrooms and saw nothing, but when he went to Harry's room he saw the window was broken. What really puzzled Remus, was that the window had been broken from the inside. Remus went back downstairs, his wand still out.

"What's up?" Harry asked when his uncle returned.

"Your window's broken. It's been broken from the inside. I need to check the house. You stay here. If you move, you're grounded," Harry nodded and watched Remus search the cottage. Remus started in the basement and worked his way up, but when he was done he found nothing. "Odd. Harry, go get dressed. We'll go see Sirius now. We'll get Hermione and Ron before we get to the Ministry," Remus told Harry, still not putting his wand away. Harry obeyed and went upstairs.

As Harry was getting ready, he went to the window and looked out it. Without knowing there was a sharp piece of glass, Harry put his hand down, the glass going into the palm of his hand.

"Ow! Damn it!" Harry cursed. He tried to pull it out but it hurt too much. He winced in pain and looked to the floor. He saw an envelope and picked it up. He frowned and turned it over to see it said _Harry Potter._"Uh oh," he whispered. "Remus!" he called and went downstairs.

"Yeah? What happened?" Remus gasped looking at Harry's hand.

"Right. I don't think that's the problem right now. I think this is," Harry held up the letter as Remus examined his hand.

"Hold still," Remus took out his wand and got the glass out. "So what is it?" he looked up. "Oh no," Remus took the letter. He finished cleaning Harry's hand. "Look, we need to hurry so we'll just have to wrap your hand in cloth. Sirius is going to be after my head," Remus said quickly. He took some cloth and wrapped Harry's hand. He took the letter and put it in his pocket. "We'll get Ron and Hermione then go to the Ministry," Remus stated and Harry nodded. So they went and picked up Hermione and Ron, then went to the Ministry.

* * *

><p>"So, what happened to your hand, mate?" Ron asked as Harry waved to the passing people he knew.<p>

"My window in my room is broken. I put my hand on the window sill and there was glass there and it went into my hand," Harry answered. They stopped walking as Remus knocked on Sirius' door.

"Come in," they heard Sirius say. Remus opened the door and let the teenagers in before going in himself. "Hey. What are you doing here? What happened to your hand?" Sirius smiled then took Harry's and looked at the cloth that had a spot of blood on it.

"Oh, uh—umm—well—" Harry stuttered and looked at Remus who nodded.

"Sirius, before you left was there anyone or anything in the house this morning besides the three of us?" Remus asked.

"No, not that I know of. Why?" Sirius shook his head. He took out his wand, unwrapped Harry's hand, and muttered a healing charm.

"Because Harry's bedroom window is broken and it's been broken from the inside. Someone was in the house," Remus told him.

"What? How the hell—how about you three go see if you can find Kingsley? Go," Sirius pushed Harry and his friends as Harry started to protest.

"Fine. Do you have any idea where he might be?" Harry sighed.

"Try his office. You know where it is," Sirius said and shut the door. Sirius knew he would be swearing even if it wasn't a lot but he figured Mrs. Weasley wouldn't be happy with Ron hearing the language. "How the hell could there have been someone in the house? The alarm would have gone off and you can't Apparate into the cottage," Sirius frowned, sitting down again.

"The alarm only would have gone off if it was a Death Eater. I haven't asked Dumbledore about it yet. We did find one thing though in Harry's room," Remus sat down as well.

"What?" Sirius frowned. Remus took out the letter and placed it on Sirius' desk. The Auror picked it up and looked at the writing on the front. He looked up quickly and looked Remus in the eye. Remus sighed and nodded.

* * *

><p>"How much farther?" Ron whined. Harry and Hermione rolled their eyes.<p>

"Ron, we haven't even been walking for five minutes. Kingsley's office in the one after next," Harry answered. They walked for a couple more minutes then stopped at a door with Kingsley Shacklebolt on it. Harry raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in," they heard Kingsley call from inside. They opened the door and walked in to see Kingsley sitting back in his chair, his feet up on the desk and he was talking to Moody. "Hey, Harry, Ron, Hermione. What are you three doing here? You're not alone, are you?" Kingsley asked, conjuring three more chairs for the kids.

"No, Kingsley, we're not alone. Remus brought us. He's talking with Sirius right now," Harry smiled as Kingsley chuckled.

"Now what did he do?" Moody asked in his gruff voice. The teens giggled.

"Nothing. Except Remus said he needs to have a chat with Sirius about his use of language around me. It's mainly about what happened at home," Harry replied and the Aurors frowned.

"What happened?" Kingsley wondered in a concerned voice.

"Someone was at the cottage. They broke my bedroom window. They left a letter behind as well," Harry told them.

"Let's go see Sirius, and let's see who wrote that letter," Moody stood up with the others and they walked back to Sirius' office. Kingsley knocked.

"Go away," Sirius groaned from inside.

"Sirius. It might be Harry you know," they heard Remus scold. The kids chuckled.

"Still, go away," Sirius repeated. Kingsley, Moody, Ron, Harry, and Hermione rolled their eyes. They opened the door and walked in.

"Now is that anyway to talk to your Aurors and your nephew?" Kingsley smirked as Sirius scowled and rolled his eyes.

"Told you it was probably Harry," Remus remarked.

"Shut it, Moony. You too, Kingsley. What's up?" Sirius sighed.

"Harry told us what happened at home. Did you open the letter?" Kingsley asked as Harry sat down with Remus.

"No. We can't open it. It's like stuck or something," Sirius shook his head.

"It's a piece of paper. How can you not open it? It's a letter," Moody raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks, Moody. Never knew it before you told me," Sirius said sarcastically. Remus slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow! Bugger off!" Sirius glared at his friend as he rubbed his head.

"Look, we tried. We tried tearing it and we tried magic. It's sealed," Remus shrugged. Just as Kingsley was going to speak, another knock came. Sirius groaned loudly.

"Go away."

"Sirius," Remus scolded again.

"Should I come back?" Dumbledore smiled as he walked in the office.

"No, sir. We were just trying to improve Sirius' manners," Moody replied as Sirius shook his head.

"A lost cause, I'm afraid," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. Everyone struggled not to laugh. Harry had to turn into Remus to stop from laughing. "Anyways, I thought you might want to know that Death Eaters are at the cottage," Dumbledore added and Sirius stood up.

"What? How?" Sirius shouted.

"I don't know but we have to go," they all nodded and Dumbledore left.

"Harry, you, Hermione, and Ron have to stay here. Just stay in the office. We'll see you in a bit," Sirius told Harry and his friends quickly.

"But—but—" Harry started to argue.

"Harry, you need to stay here. We'll be back in a bit," Remus said and followed the others, closing and locking the door.

"I wonder where you're going to be living now?" Hermione stated as Harry sat in Sirius' seat and the others sat as well.

"Why?" Harry frowned.

"Well, you can't go back to the cottage now that Death Eaters know where it is," Hermione said.

"I'm wondering how they got through all the wards and stuff," Harry sighed and his friends nodded. Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the letter then picked it up.

"Harry, maybe you should wait until they get back. Something could happen," Hermione remarked as Harry looked at the letter.

"What could happen from opening a letter?" Harry raised an eyebrow as he turned it over to open it.

"Oh, don't be so naïve, Harry. This letter was probably and most likely sent to you by a Death Eater, and you're telling me that you think nothing could happen? Don't be so thick, Harry. Think about it. A letter from a Death Eater. Death Eaters work for Voldemort. Voldemort wants you dead!" Hermione told Harry who looked at Ron who hadn't flinched when Hermione said Voldemort's name.

"You didn't flinch," Harry said to Ron.

"I know. I'm starting to realize it's just a name. It doesn't bother me very much. I just can't let Mum or Dad know. They'd go berserk on me," Ron nodded. "Anyways, 'Mione's right, mate. You're in the number one spot on Voldemort's killing spree list," Ron added sarcastically.

"Thanks, Ron. I feel better now. Look, Sirius, Remus, and then were probably going to get me to open it anyways. That's probably why it's sealed and they can't open it," Harry stated and his friends sighed.

"All right, but if we get hurt, I'm putting all on your head," Ron replied and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he turned the envelope over and opened it. He pulled out parchment and read. As he read, his eyes grew. "Uh oh," he looked at his friends and let them read it.

* * *

><p>"They were definitely here. Doesn't help that they left the Dark Mark over the house," Sirius sighed as he walked through what was left of the cottage.<p>

"They aren't updated on the facts either. They must still think you're a werewolf, Remus," Moody stated as his magical eye swivelled around.

"Why's that?" Remus wondered.

"They laced your bedroom with silver," Moody chuckled. Remus sighed as he walked through the living room. He stopped when he kicked something and looked down. He picked up a broken picture of the Marauders and Lily holding Harry as a baby. Remus smiled as he pointed his wand at the photo.

"_Reparo_," he muttered and the picture was fixed. Remus put the picture in his pocket and continued looking around.

"Hey, we definitely have a case to work on," Sirius told Moody and Kingsley in the kitchen as Remus walked in.

"Really? Because I thought nothing was wrong, that this was just a prank the kids pulled and we should forget all about it. You know, that 'no harm, no foul' thing," Kingsley stated sarcastically, crossing his arms.

"Is it really the time for that?" Sirius said, frowning.

"Black, over here," Moody said and Sirius walked over to see Moody holding an envelope addressed to Sirius and Remus.

"Perfect. Destroyed house and a letter. All I need is Voldemort—" the two Aurors flinched but Sirius ignored them. "—wrapped up and I've got a perfect Christmas, don't I?" Sirius sighed sarcastically, taking the letter. He opened it and began reading.

_Black and Lupin,  
>Since you are reading this, it means my fellow Death Eaters and I have gone. We know you didn't bring Potter, so this is for you. We have found you and in doing so, we will take Potter. We've found you but you will never find us no matter what you do. Watch out. You might lose your precious godson quicker then you think.<br>-Lucius Malfoy _

"Jackass," Sirius muttered. "Kingsley, Moody. We have a case to work on," he repeated and they rolled their eyes.

"Clearly," Kingsley stated sarcastically. Sirius scowled at him.

"Remus, can you go to Harry? He's probably going mental. We'll stay here and see if we can't find anything else. We'll be there in five to ten minutes. Oh, tell Harry I'm sorry," Sirius turned to his friend and spoke.

"Tell him yourself. You'll be there in under ten minutes," Remus stated then disappeared. The Aurors stayed at the house for another five minutes looking around for anything else.

* * *

><p>Harry and his friends read the letter again for what seemed like the millionth time.<p>

_Potter,  
>We know where your home is. We've known for months and we've just been watching instead of acting, only because that's what the Dark Lord has ordered. But now he has given us a plan. You'll be with your dear mudblood mother soon, Potter. We'll get you, you can count on that.<br>-Lucius Malfoy _

"Jackass," Harry muttered.

"Sirius has a bad impact on you," Ron stated.

"Yeah, that's what everyone says," Harry nodded.

"I can't believe they've known where you live for months," Hermione shook her head.

"They could have known where the cottage was for years without anyone knowing," Harry pointed out.

"But still. Look at it logically, Harry. You've been in danger for months and you never knew," Hermione said.

"Hermione, I've been in danger since I was born. If you haven't forgotten, I'm Voldemort's top priority. This doesn't really make a difference. It's probably an improvement to have the bloody Death Eaters watching and stalking me, instead of Voldemort himself," Harry raised an eyebrow.

"I wonder what's going on?" Ron stated. The others nodded and they stayed quiet.

* * *

><p>As the trio was chatting, Remus had arrived at the Ministry. He quickly walked up to Sirius' office, took out his wand, and unlocked the door.<p>

"Remus!" Harry jumped up.

"Hey, pup. Are you three all right? You all right?" Remus asked, looking at the teenagers.

"We're fine," Ron nodded.

"What happened? Where's Sirius? Were the Death Eaters there when you got there? Did you have to fight? Did anyone get hurt?" Harry asked quickly as he sat in Sirius' chair with Remus.

"Slow down, Harry. There were no Death Eaters when we got there. There was no fight and no one got hurt. Sirius is still at the cottage with Kingsley and Moody. They're checking it out," Remus chuckled as he put an arm around Harry.

"Good. When can we go home?" Harry asked even though he knew they couldn't go back.

"Oh—umm—Harry, we can't go back," Remus stated and Harry rested his head on Remus.

"I knew you were going to say that," Harry sighed. "Where are we going to be living now?"

"I'll be looking around and me and Sirius will talk to Dumbledore," Remus answered.

"Where are we going to be staying?" Harry wondered.

"Since Christmas is tomorrow, we'll be at the cottage unless we find somewhere, then we'll move, but otherwise as soon as Christmas is over, we have to leave. We do have one problem with the cottage though."

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"The Dark Mark is over the house. We don't know how to get rid of it," Remus sighed.

"Does it matter? It's a bloody skull and snake floating in the air," Harry looked Remus in the eye.

"Of course it matters! Harry, Voldemort is closer to you then ever!" Remus cried.

"Okay, okay. It matters. When is Sirius coming back?" Harry rested against his uncle again.

"He should be here in a few minutes," Remus glanced at his watch.

* * *

><p>"How did they get through the bloody wards? I thought they could never get through?" Sirius shouted at Dumbledore.<p>

"I don't know but you have to move somewhere else," Dumbledore said calmly.

"What did you have in mind?" Sirius looked at the headmaster curiously. Dumbledore just gazed at him over his half-moon glasses. "No. You have got to be joking!" Sirius groaned as the aging man nodded.

"What good is it though? The Death Eaters and You-Know-Who know where it is," Kingsley pointed out.

"They do, but I'm sure it will be safe with all the wards and a Fidelius Charm placed on it," Dumbledore replied and Sirius ran a hand through his long hair. He hated thinking about the Fidelius Charm, no matter how safe it was.

"You would be the Secret Keeper?" Sirius finally spoke.

"I would," Dumbledore nodded.

"Fine. All right, but Harry is not going anywhere near that place until me and Remus have checked it out with a bunch of Aurors," Sirius looked at Dumbledore who smiled.

"He can stay at Hogwarts the day you go to inspect it. In the meantime, until Christmas is over, you can return home. I will get rid of the Dark Mark," Dumbledore stated. "Now, I suggest we all go back to your office where I'm sure there is a teenager waiting anxiously for you," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he disappeared with a _pop_.

"He's mental," Kingsley said as he and Moody stood beside their boss.

"You just realized? Come on, let's go," Sirius smirked and the three disappeared with pops.

* * *

><p>"Sirius!" Harry jumped up when Sirius and the others walked into the office.<p>

"Hey, kiddo. Moony told you everything I'm guessing?" Sirius put an arm around the teen.

"Yep. Are we going home?" Harry asked.

"Yes, for a couple days then we're moving," Sirius nodded.

"Where are we living now? It better be at least half-decent," Remus wondered as they all sat down. Sirius said and looked Remus in the eye. "You're kidding. For the love of Merlin, tell me you're joking," Remus stated.

"Nope. We will be moving into the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black," Sirius shook his head, grinning slightly.

"How is it going to work? The Death Eaters and Voldemort know where it is," Remus stated.

"We'll be putting all the same wards up along with a Fidelius Charm. Dumbledore is going to be the Secret Keeper," Sirius told him. "Before Harry goes anywhere near that house, the both of us are going with a bunch of Aurors to the house and we're checking it out. Who knows what's in there," Sirius added.

"When do you want to go?" Remus asked and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"I don't _want_ to go, I _have_to go," Sirius whined and everyone laughed. "We'll go the day after tomorrow since tomorrow is Christmas," Sirius replied.

"What about Harry? Where will he stay while we're there?" Remus wondered.

"He can stay at home with Ron and Hermione, even though I'm not fond of him being alone," Sirius answered and Harry looked at him.

"Thanks for trusting me alone," Harry stated and Sirius chuckled, taking his nephew in a headlock. "Bugger off," Harry grinned as his godfather let him go.

"We should get home. See you all later," Remus stated, standing up. "Ron, Hermione. Come with us. We'll bring you home," he added to the teens. They all stood up and walked to the fire. They said the address and disappeared.

"I'll see you two in a couple days," Harry bid goodbye as his friends Flooed home. Harry began walking upstairs but stopped when he kicked something on the floor.

"Hey, it's my stag! I haven't seen this since a year before I started school," Harry picked up a stuffed stag. Remus walked into the kitchen when he heard Harry speak.

"Where was that?" Remus smiled as Harry hugged the toy.

"At the foot of the stairs," Harry said. "Where's Sirius?" he looked around.

"Upstairs. He's taking a shower. I'm pretty sure he's trying to drown himself so he doesn't have to go to Grimmauld Place," Remus grinned as they sat at the kitchen table.

"How are we supposed to pack when everything's all over the house?" Harry looked around.

"We'll find a way," Remus answered. Then they heard shuffling upstairs. "Well, at least we know he didn't drown himself," Remus shrugged and Harry laughed.

* * *

><p>That night, Harry went to bed at eleven along with his uncles. Before he went to bed, Sirius checked in on Harry like he always did.<p>

"Night, kid. Love you," Sirius kissed Harry's forehead just above his scar. He looked at the floor and saw the stuffed stag and placed it in Harry's arms. He watched as Harry hugged the toy then went to bed.

At six-thirty the next morning, Remus and Sirius woke up to Harry screaming.

* * *

><p><em>"I know it's earlier then was planned but the master wants you to come now," Lucius stated.<em>

_"We'll wait one more day," Bellatrix spoke._

_"That's fine," Voldemort hissed. "One more day won't hurt," he added._

* * *

><p>"Harry! Wake up!" Remus spoke. Harry's eyes opened and he sighed.<p>

"These dreams are getting annoying, you know that?" Harry sat up and his uncles smiled.

"It's early. Go back to sleep," Sirius said and Harry lay down again.

"Something's going to happen soon," Remus said as they walked out of Harry's room, shutting the door.

"I know. Let's hope we're all ready," Sirius nodded.

"See you in a bit," they went back to bed.

* * *

><p>The next day was Christmas and Harry ran down the stairs, almost colliding with Sirius.<p>

"Hey, kid. I was just coming to get you," Sirius grinned.

"No need. Let's go," they went back to the living room where Remus was waiting. For a bit they chatted and opened gifts. As Harry looked through the Quidditch books Ron had given him, Sirius and Remus talked.

"Ready to go to Grimmauld Place tomorrow?" Remus asked.

"Nope. Never will be," Sirius said dully.

"It's a house," Remus stated.

"So?" Sirius shrugged. Remus rolled his eyes.

"I guess we'll be leaving early?" Remus wondered.

"Definitely. The earlier we go, the faster we leave and come home," Sirius nodded. Remus shook his head and rolled his eyes again.

"What's for breakfast?" Harry suddenly asked, putting his books down. Remus and Sirius laughed.

"Do you ever stop eating?" Sirius asked.

"Padfoot, he's being raised by you and he's James' son. Of course he doesn't stop eating," Remus pointed out and Harry giggled.

"Shut up," Sirius scowled. Remus laughed and walked to the kitchen.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Sirius. Harry made fun of your cooking the other day," Remus smirked as Sirius looked at Harry who blushed.

"I am so gonna get you," Sirius eyed the teen. Harry laughed as he stood up and ran as Sirius chased him.

"Remus, help!" Harry laughed, hiding behind his uncle.

"Come on. You can run around after. Eat breakfast now," Remus smiled and got them to sit.

* * *

><p>The next day, Remus and Sirius reluctantly left Harry home alone with Ron and Hermione as they went to Grimmauld Place.<p>

"We'll be fine. Go. I'll see you later," Harry smiled as Sirius and Remus slowly left the house with worried looks.

"Call us on the mirror if you need anything," Remus stated and they disappeared as Harry nodded.

"They really don't like leaving you home alone, do they?" Ron asked as Harry looked in the fridge for something for them to eat.

"They never have. What do you want to eat? Pizza. Chinese food, soup…oddly. We never eat soup. Whatever. What do you want?" Harry asked his friends as he looked around in the fridge.

"Pizza," Hermione and Ron answered.

"Pizza it is. What do you want to do?" Harry wondered as he put the pizza on the table and they began to eat.

"Quidditch?" Ron suggested. Harry agreed but Hermione didn't. "You gotta learn how to fly, 'Mione."

"I'd rather not. I was scared enough when we rode Buckbeak in third year," Hermione shook her head.

"After we're done eating, we can go outside just to walk and all," Harry said and they nodded. They ate the pizza for another ten minutes then went outside where they had a snowball fight for half an hour.

"That was so much fun," Hermione grinned as she brushed the snow out of her hair.

"Come on. Let's go back in. I'll light the fireplace and we can warm up," Harry said and they started back to the house. As they were about to go in, they saw the outline of someone walk through the living room.

"Who's in your house?" Hermione whispered.

"Maybe Remus or Sirius?" Ron added.

"No, they won't be back for another hour or so," Harry shook his head. Harry peered into the house and looked at the intruder. "It's Lucius Malfoy!" Harry cried in a whisper.

"Uh oh. Better call Sirius and Remus," Ron told him.

"Really? I thought we should just walk in and become best friends with him and Voldemort," Harry stated sarcastically and Ron scowled. "The mirror's in my room. Stay here, I'll go get it," Harry said quietly.

"Harry, no. What if he sees you?" Hermione grabbed Harry's wrist as he went to stand.

"I'll be fine. Just stay here. I'll be right back," Harry tiptoed into the house as Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks. After about five minutes, Harry finally got upstairs and ran to his room to see the mirror on his bed. "Sirius Black," he whispered into the mirror.

* * *

><p>"This is where you grew up?" Remus raised an eyebrow at the house.<p>

"Yep," Sirius nodded.

"Very…homey," Remus stated sarcastically.

"You have no idea," Sirius answered just as sarcastically.

"Ready to go in?" Remus asked.

"Nope," Sirius said dully and Remus laughed.

"Come on," Remus pulled Sirius into the house. Sirius looked around and shuddered. "It needs some work," Remus said.

"Can we go now?" Sirius stated in a small voice.

"You're scared of a house?" Remus raised an eyebrow again.

"Yes and I have good reason to be," Sirius sighed as they walked up the stairs. Just as they walked into a bedroom, the mirror rang.

"Hey, Harry. What's up?" Sirius asked.

"Sshhh, be quiet. You have to come home," Harry whispered to them.

"Why?" Remus wondered.

"Because someone's in the house," Harry told them.

"Who?" Sirius said quickly. Before Harry could reply, someone walked into the room and behind Harry.

"Hello," said a cold voice.

"That help?" Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Leave him alone!" the wizards cried. Then the mirror went blank.

"No!" Sirius yelled. "Let's go," they ran down the stairs and outside where they Apparated home.

"Where are they?" Remus asked Ron and Hermione.

"Up in Harry's room," Hermione said quickly. The teens ran behind Sirius and Remus as they went upstairs.


	7. Chapter 7

"Hello, Harry. How have you been?" Lucius Malfoy asked in a fake pleasant voice.

"What do you want?" Harry wondered, putting a hand on his wand.

"You can't actually believe that you can curse me, can you? You're underage. You can't do magic outside of school," Lucius sneered.

_Damn. That's true_, Harry silently cursed.

"What do you want?" Harry repeated.

"I would have thought that easy to figure out," Lucius sighed. Harry didn't answer. Lucius pulled out his wand, pointed it at the teen, and backed him up to the wall.

"Damn it," Harry muttered.

"Time to go," Lucius took Harry's wrist and just as he was going to Disapparate, Sirius and Remus ran into the room with Hermione and Ron behind them.

"Let him go," Sirius growled. Both wizards had their wands pointed at the Death Eater. They watched as he let go of Harry and as Ron and Hermione ran to their friend.

"Good to see you again, Black. You too, Lupin. If you'll excuse me, I have to be somewhere. See you soon," Lucius smirked them disappeared. They sighed and looked at the teenagers.

"Are you three all right?" Remus asked as they walked over.

"Yeah, we're fine," Harry nodded.

"Good. We have to move as quickly as possible," Sirius stated.

"Yeah. Maybe we should pack now and move in tonight or tomorrow," Remus suggested. "You two should go home and tell Molly what happened," Remus added to Ron and Hermione since Hermione was staying at the Weasleys'. They nodded and went downstairs to Floo home.

"Do we have to go now? Did you even finish searching the place?" Harry asked as he rubbed the back of his head which he had hit on the wall.

"We had just gone to the second floor when you called, so, no. We didn't finish, but we have to leave. It's too dangerous here," Remus told his nephew.

"Okay. I'll start packing now. Almost all of my stuff is in my room anyways," Harry sighed. His uncles nodded and went to pack their own stuff.

* * *

><p>"Harry! Are you almost ready, kiddo?" Sirius called.<p>

"I'm getting there!" Harry said.

"Hurry up!" Remus added. Just as Harry walked down the stairs, an owl came and landed in front of Sirius. He opened the letter and read it.

"I have to go," Sirius said as he burnt the letter. "I'm really sorry, Harry. I'll make it up to you later. I'm really sorry. See you later, Moony," Sirius stated, kissed the side of Harry's head, then Flooed to the Ministry. "Ministry of Magic: The Atrium," Sirius disappeared in the green flames.

"Let's go to Grimmauld Place," Harry sighed and walked out the door with his trunk and Hedwig's cage. Remus sighed and brought his trunk outside to Harry, where Remus Apparated them to their destination.

"Here. Memorize this," Remus handed Harry a piece of paper. It said;

_Number Twelve Grimmauld Place; The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black._

"Kay," Harry gave the paper back to Remus.

"Now, think about what you just read," Remus told him. Harry nodded and as soon as he got to 'Black,' a house began to appear.

"Wow," Harry gaped at the house.

"Come on. Stay quiet as you go in. Don't want to wake anyone," Remus replied as they walked to the house.

"What?" Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"Just stay quiet. You'll find out eventually," Remus opened the door and Harry walked in.

"Lovely place this is," Harry said sarcastically as he looked around.

"It's either this or get taken by Death Eaters then killed by Voldemort," Remus eyed him. "You stay here while I get everything else. Try to be quiet," Remus went outside and Apparated back to the cottage. For about three minutes, Remus brought all their stuff from the cottage and to Grimmauld Place.

* * *

><p>"So, he's gone. There's not even a slight possibility at where he might be?" Sirius asked Kingsley, Moody, and Jason Dawlish.<p>

"Sorry, boss. There's nothing. Unless Malfoy comes back and leaves us a letter telling us where he is, we're drawing a blank on this," Kingsley shook his head.

"I'm going to find him. Will you help?" Sirius pointed at mainly Moody and Kingsley.

"Do we have a choice?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"No. Search Malfoy Manor. Ask people down at the Leaky Cauldron about the Death Eaters, someone down there always knows something," Sirius replied.

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir," Dawlish said quietly and left.

"Strange kid," Moody stated as Dawlish quickly walked away.

"Is he even in this department?" Sirius frowned.

"No, but I am," a voice said from Sirius' open office door. They all turned to the door and Sirius' eyes grew wide.

"Nymphadora Tonks?" Sirius gaped.

"Hey, Sirius. And it's Tonks, not Nymphadora, or Nymphy, or Dora, you know that," Tonks grinned. Sirius laughed and hugged his cousin.

"It's so great to see you," Sirius smiled. "How long have you been with the Ministry?" Sirius wondered.

"About a year. You're my boss," Tonks answered.

"How come I haven't seen you around?" Sirius asked.

"I've been busy doing some undercover work on the Death Eaters. I've been in Switzerland for the past couple weeks trying to get some information on the whereabouts of the Death Eaters and Voldemort. Also on the disappearance of Bertha Jorkins. She was supposed to be back from vacation two weeks ago. No one knows where she is," Tonks explained.

"I heard about that. People are saying she got lost because she has a bad memory," Kingsley nodded.

"Rubbish. Bertha Jorkins has always had an excellent memory. Me and James used to work with her," Sirius frowned.

"I know. I've known her for quite a few years. Her memory is really good," Tonks added.

"Anyways, I need about five Aurors at Malfoy Manor and about three down at the Leaky Cauldron.," Sirius replied.

"I'll get Evans, Brooks, and a couple others to go to Malfoy Manor," Kingsley stated and Sirius nodded.

"I'll go to the Manor too," Tonks said.

"Good. Get one more and you can go tonight. Moody, get two more Aurors and go to the Leaky Cauldron, Oh, and disguise yourselves," Sirius told them.

"Okay. See you later, Black," Moody said and walked out of the office.

"I should go too. Gotta find another Auror brave enough to go near the big bad house," Kingsley sighed. Tonks and Sirius laughed.

"How's Harry doing?" Tonks asked as they sat down.

"He's doing great. Did you hear about the attack on the cottage?" Sirius looked at his cousin.

"Yeah, Dumbledore told me about it. I was going to come back early but I had to stay for a couple more days," Tonks nodded.

"Did you find anything?" Sirius asked.

"Only that the Death Eater McNair had been there for a couple days but then left. Otherwise, nothing," Tonks shrugged. "I might be getting sent to Sweden if they don't send Evans," she added.

"You're just traveling the world, aren't you?" Sirius grinned.

"Yep. I should go. I was supposed to meet with Crouch an hour ago. I just didn't feel like going, especially when I heard you were here. See you, Sirius," Tonks walked down the corridor.

"Bye. You should come over some time. We're living at Grimmauld Place now," Sirius called. Tonks nodded, waved, then disappeared around a corner. He sat at his desk, sat back and put his feet up, and then picked up a folder. He opened it and looked at the picture of Lucius Malfoy. "Where the hell are you?" he sighed. Voldemort was closer to his family then ever, and he swore, the next person that tried to hurt anyone close to him he wouldn't stop until they were dead.

* * *

><p>As Harry was walking down the stairs for a snack, the doorbell rang and a woman began shrieking.<p>

"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS! MUDBLOODS! MUGGLE LOVERS! FILTH IN MY HOUSE!" the portrait of Sirius' mother shrieked.

"Would you shut up!" Remus groaned as he and Harry shut the curtains over Mrs. Black's portrait. In the time they had been living at Grimmauld Place, Mrs. Black had began shrieking three times. Once when Harry tripped and fell, once when Sirius dropped something on his foot and began cursing, and now because of the doorbell. "Could you get the door, Harry?" Remus said to Harry who opened the door.

"Hey, Kingsley. What's going on?" Harry stated as the Auror walked in.

"Nice place. I like the cottage better," Kingsley started as he looked around. Harry giggled as he grabbed a butterbeer from the fridge and an apple. "Is Remus around?" Kingsley asked and Harry nodded.

"Remus! It's Kingsley! I'm guessing Sirius got lost or killed!" Harry called and Kingsley chuckled.

"Harry. Sirius isn't stupid enough to get killed. Lost, maybe, but not killed. Hi, Kingsley. What's up?" Remus scolded Harry who rolled his eyes as he walked upstairs.

"You'd be surprised. It's Sirius," Harry stated as he got to the landing.

"Harry!" Remus said, glaring up at the teen who shrugged and went to his room. "That kid is probably going to kill me. If Sirius doesn't that is," Remus sighed as he turned back to Kingsley.

"He's still not completely happy with Sirius being at the Ministry, is he?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"Not completely, no," Remus shook his head. "So, what's going on?"

"Sirius has to stay late at the Ministry. He needs to supervise the search of Malfoy Manor. He said something about maybe bringing his dog along. You don't have a dog, do you?" Kingsley frowned.

"No, we don't have a dog. You'll find out. Thanks, Kingsley. Now I have to tell Harry. He was looking forward to playing Quidditch or chess with him tonight," Remus thanked the Auror.

"See you later, Remus. Say bye to Harry for me," Kingsley walked back outside.

"Bye," Remus waved and Kingsley disappeared.

"Why am I not surprised?" Harry said from the stairs.

"Harry, don't. Come down and have dinner," Remus started to the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry," Harry said shortly and went back to his room. Remus pinched the bridge of his nose then went to make some dinner.

"Guess I'm eating alone tonight," Remus breathed deeply as he sat down and began to eat the salad and pasta he had made. After he was done eating, Remus went and watched TV until ten-thirty. As he went up the stairs and down the hall, he walked into Harry's room to see the teen fast asleep, fully dressed. "Don't be mad at Sirius. He loves you and he means it when he says sorry for having to cancel plans. Good night, pup," Remus whispered and stroked Harry's hair. He stood up, bent down and kissed the teen's cheek, then walked to his room, watching as Harry stirred and sighed.

* * *

><p><em>"Lucius, Severus. It's time for Bellatrix and Pettigrew to come," Voldemort hissed to his Death Eaters.<em>

"_Yes, my Lord. We will go tell them," Lucius and Snape bowed their heads then Disapparated._

_"Bellatrix, Pettigrew, it is time. Get out and come to the Dark Lord," Snape told their fellow Death Eaters then walked outside of Azkaban. Just then, there was a flash of yellow light and a loud _bang _sounded out, making the ground shake._

_"Let's go," Bellatrix smirked. Bellatrix took hold of Lucius' arm and Pettigrew grabbed Snape, then they Apparated away._

* * *

><p>"Harry!" Remus shouted and Harry shot up in his bed, sweating and breathing heavily. "Harry, what is it, pup? What happened?" Remus looked into Harry's green eyes.<p>

"Get to Azkaban. There's been a breakout," Harry replied and Remus grabbed the mirror off his end table.

"Sirius Black," he said.

* * *

><p>"Nothing. Not a single thing," Sirius groaned as he sat at his desk and Kingsley took a seat as well.<p>

"Well, we still have the questioning at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow," Kingsley pointed out.

"Yeah, but—Tonks?" Sirius frowned. "What's going on?" he asked as he saw her worried expression.

"Come on. There's been a breakout at Azkaban," Tonks said shortly. Sirius groaned. He opened a drawer on his desk, grabbed a handful of chocolate, and put it in his pocket.

"Let's go," Sirius quickly walked out of the office. Tonks and Kingsley raised their eyebrows then followed the Head Auror.

* * *

><p>"What did you see exactly, Johnson?" Sirius asked the Auror.<p>

"Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape Apparated here then Disapparated with Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew," the Auror, Mark Johnson repeated for the third time.

"But you can't Apparate or Disapparate out of Azkaban. It's impossible," Sirius shouted angrily.

"Maybe something happened when the explosion happened," Tonks suggested, putting some chocolate in her mouth.

"Didn't Pettigrew get the Dementor's Kiss?" Kingsley asked.

"No. Fudge was stupid the day he got brought in and insisted he just rot away in his cell, instead of getting the Kiss," Sirius put a large piece of chocolate in his mouth.

"Git, much," Tonks stated.

"You have no idea," Sirius sighed. "Question the prisoners that can speak. We need to know if they know anything about this—" he trailed off when he heard a ringing in his pocket.

"Sirius Black, if you don't pick up, I am going to murder you! Sirius!" Remus yelled.

"Please don't murder me. I'm busy. What's going on, Moony?" Sirius joked and Remus glared.

"I'm assuming you know about the breakout and you're already there, but there's a problem. Harry had a dream about the breakout. He saw it as it was happening," Remus said quickly.

"Well, now he'll know why I'm even later then was intended," Sirius joked again.

"Sirius!" Remus cried.

"Calm down, Moony. Put Harry on," Sirius replied and Remus gave the mirror to Harry. "Kiddo, what was the dream exactly?" Sirius wondered.

"Malfoy and Snape went to Azkaban, talked with Bellatrix and Pettigrew for a couple seconds, there was an explosion, then Snape and Malfoy Disapparated with Pettigrew and Bellatrix," Harry told him.

"That's exactly what happened. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Harry. I'm really sorry. Night, love you," Sirius answered.

"Kay. Love you too," Harry nodded, sighed, and handed the mirror back to Remus.

"I thought we were friends with Snape?" Sirius said and he heard Harry try to cover his giggles.

"Padfoot, not the time," Remus scowled.

"Come on, Moony. Calm down. Look, I need to stay here then go back to the Ministry. I won't see you until tomorrow. Tell Harry I'll be fine, since I know he'll end up flipping," Sirius stated.

"Will not!" he heard Harry cry.

"Harry, go to sleep," Remus told the teen.

"That's kind of hard when the light's on, you're sitting on the bed, and you're talking with Sirius," Harry listed the reasons he had.

"Let me talk to him," Sirius smiled and Remus gave the mirror to Harry. "You need to get to sleep. It's already two in the morning. I'll be fine, oh, and Kingsley told me about your conversation with him when he dropped by. Now, go to sleep," Sirius replied.

"Fine. Night," Harry sighed and Remus took the mirror.

"Night, Harry," Remus shut off the lights and walked into the hall, closing the door.

"Hey, boss! We need you over here," Moody called.

"Coming!" Sirius called back. "Okay, I'll see you and Harry tomorrow. I have to go. Bye, Moony," he added into the mirror.

"Don't you dare hang up on me," Remus glared at Sirius who grinned.

"Sirius! Come on! Hurry up!" Tonks called for him.

"Sorry, Remus. I gotta go," Sirius apologized and the mirror went blank. "Okay, what do you need?" Sirius asked, walking up beside Tonks and Johnson.

"We got a prisoner that can speak but won't say anything," Kingsley told him.

"Who?" Sirius wondered.

"Rodolphus Lestrange." Tonks answered.

"Great," Sirius said sarcastically. "Tomorrow, bring him to the interrogation room at the Ministry. I might get to him or I'll get Kingsley or Moody to do it," Sirius told them. "I need four Aurors to be on guard duty. Moody, Evans, Johnson, and Smith will be on duty tonight. Kingsley, Tonks, Rogers, and Brooks will be tomorrow night. Switch each night," Sirius ordered.

"All right. Evans, Johnson, and Smith! Come with me," Moody yelled for the Aurors.

"Kingsley and Tonks, go home. Rest up. You'll need all your energy for tomorrow night. Rogers! Brooks! Go home and rest!" Sirius told the other Aurors. "Also, stock up on chocolate. Even though Bones has the Dementors on the opposite side of the prison, just stock up," he added and they nodded.

"See you soon, Sirius," Tonks waved and walked outside to the boat with Kingsley.

"Bye," Sirius sighed and looked around. "Hey, all of you! Over here!" Sirius called to the guard duty. They walked over to him and he told them where to go.

_Now that that's done, I'll go to the Ministry, check some stuff out then I'll go home_, Sirius thought and walked outside to the boat. When he got to a point where he could Apparate, he Disapparated from Azkaban and outside the Ministry. He quickly walked up to his office and took a couple folders off his desk. Sirius then walked to the fire, but just as he was stepping into the fire, he saw a woman slowly walking down the hall.

"Summer. What the hell are you doing here?" Sirius growled, stepping out of the fireplace.

"I was hoping we could talk," Summer said quietly.

"Don't you remember our conversation at Hogwarts?" Sirius glared at her.

"I know and I'm so sorry, but I want to help. I want to be a part of yours and Remus' lives again…a part of Harry's life. Please, Sirius," Summer looked at him with pleading eyes.

"No. Remus and I don't want to know you anymore. We never want to see you again. Harry doesn't want to know you, so don't come anywhere near him. You had your chance, Summer. I tried to help you. So did Remus and James, and Lily, Amanda, and Michelle. Even Dumbledore offered you help but you refused it. You made your choice, Summer, and we've made ours. Stay away from us. Forever," Sirius practically shouted. "You're lucky this place is deserted! I'm lucky it's deserted because I could get fired for communicating with a Death Eater! I should arrest you, but I'm not going to. Just stay away from me and my family. If I ever see you around or if you're near them, I'll arrest you on sight. Get lost, Summer," Sirius yelled. He walked back into the fireplace, and just as he was going to say the address, Summer spoke.

"I was really hoping to patch things up. I made a mistake and I hate it. One more thing, the world doesn't only revolve around you," Summer said coldly.

"I know! Mine and Remus' whole damn lives revolve around Harry! We're the ones who have tried! Our lives revolve around him and vice versa! Damn it, Summer! I bet if you had tried and hadn't gone to Voldemort, Harry would actually like you! Hell, me and Remus probably would too! We probably would have gotten married like was planned! You're the one who screwed it all up by joining Voldemort! If you hadn't, things would have been different! But things are how they are now. Remus and I don't care about you, and neither does Harry. Just get lost and never come back or I will arrest you," Sirius yelled at her.

"You're so different. You've changed, Sirius," Summer frowned.

"I know I've changed. I've changed into a better person. You're the one that's different, but I don't care. I'll say it one last time. Get lost, Summer," Sirius pointed at her. Summer looked to the floor, wiped her eyes, and then walked back down the corridor. Go to hell. he added silently at her retreating back.

He glanced at the clock and groaned when he saw it was four in the morning. He grabbed some Floo Powder, stepped into the fire, said the address, and then disappeared in the green flames.

* * *

><p>Sirius stumbled out of the fire, dropping the files. He picked them up and threw them on the table carelessly.<p>

_I am so going to bed_, Sirius sighed and went up to his bedroom. He fell onto the bed and, without even bothering to change, fell fast asleep.

* * *

><p>It felt as though Sirius had just fallen asleep when an owl flew into his room.<p>

"What now?" he groaned as he opened the letter.

_Sirius,  
>We have Rodolphus in the interrogation room. Are you coming down for the questioning, or should I get Moody or Shacklebolt?<br>-Jackson Rogers_

"I don't feel like interrogating him and that's saying something," Sirius yawned.

_Rogers,  
>Get Kingsley or Moody.<br>-Sirius_

Sirius quickly wrote his reply then lay back down, falling asleep in minutes.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Remus. What are these?" Harry asked, holding up one of the folders.<p>

"Sirius' files. He must have brought some home last night," Remus replied as he continued cooking breakfast. It was silent for a couple minutes before Harry spoke.

"What in the world is that?" Harry gaped at a small, old creature that had walked into the kitchen.

"What?" Remus turned around. "Oh my God! Sirius!" Remus called.

"What now?" Sirius yelled.

"Kreacher's down here," Remus replied.

"Who's Kreacher?" Harry asked. Remus smiled and pointed at the creature in the kitchen. Oh. Is it a house elf?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Yep. Kreacher is the house elf that serves the Black family," Remus nodded as he s at down beside Harry, and giving the teen his food.

"That is the ugliest house elf I have ever seen," Harry stated, eating. Remus laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Kreacher's still alive? Damn," Sirius groaned as he walked down the stairs and spotted the house elf.

"If you hate him so much, why don't we give him to someone?" Remus suggested.

"Like who?" Sirius got some coffee and sat across from Remus.

"What about the Malfoys? I know you hate them but I'm sure they'll take Kreacher," Harry told them through food.

"Swallow your food, Harry," Remus said and Harry rolled his eyes. "Don't they already have a house elf?" Remus stated.

"Yeah, they have Dobby, but they're really mean to him. Kreacher kind of fits into that family. Cold and depressing," Harry answered.

"We can talk with Narcissa about it." Remus said and Sirius frowned.

"Do we have to?" Sirius whined.

"If you want to get rid of Kreacher then yes, we have to," Remus grinned as Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "So, late night?" he changed the subject.

"Yeah, got home at four in the morning. I still only slept for an hour or so," Sirius nodded.

"Why?" Remus wondered.

"Nightmares," Sirius answered shortly. Remus and Harry raised their eyebrows then remembered he had been at Azkaban.

"How come you were so late? Besides being at Azkaban for hours," Remus asked.

"I ran into someone at the Ministry as I was getting the files," Sirius stated quietly.

"Who was it?" Harry asked as he put his dish away.

"Summer. She wanted to talk, but I wouldn't talk. I told her that if I ever see her around again, I'd arrest her on sight," Sirius told them.

"Wait, she just walked through the Ministry? You know you can lose your job for associating with a Death Eater," Remus frowned.

"I know. I told—or yelled it at her," Sirius nodded, sighing.

"So when are we talking with Narcissa?" Harry changed the subject.

"Today sometime," Remus told him. He and Harry laughed as Sirius groaned.

"Why today?" the Auror groaned.

"You don't have to come, but I doubt she'll listen to only me and Harry," Remus grinned.

"Come on, Sirius. You'll like Dobby. Please," Harry smiled and looked in Sirius' eyes with his own pleading ones.

"Fine. We'll go at noon," Sirius agreed and Harry hugged him. "Don't be surprised if Narcissa curses me into oblivion," he added.

"Then don't be surprised if me and Malfoy start fighting," Harry pointed out.

"You better not mean that," Remus eyed the fifteen year old. Harry shrugged and didn't say anything.

"Will we ever be able to go back to the cottage?" Harry suddenly asked and the older wizards looked at him.

"We might. We'd have to talk to Dumbledore, but even if we can, we can't go back for a while," Sirius answered.

"I hope we can go back. I like the cottage much better then this place," Harry sighed.

"I'm pretty sure anyone would live at the cottage instead of here," Remus stated.

"I know I want to go back to the cottage," Sirius added in. "I'm going to go see how long it takes to drown in the shower since I didn't try last time," Sirius sighed and walked upstairs.

"I'll be right back. Gotta convince him not to commit suicide," Remus went upstairs and Harry laughed.

He shook his head, grinning, as he thought about how much Sirius acted like a child sometimes. He walked down a hallway and into the living room. Harry loved to read, a trait he had gotten from Remus, and Sirius hated Remus for that. The teenage Gryffindor looked through a shelf of books then stopped on one that was about Animagi. Though he pretty much knew the majority about Animagi from Remus and Sirius, he took the book down, sat comfortably in a chair, and began to read.

_An Animagus is when a wizard is capable of turning into a certain animal at will and back again. With some wizards, it can take up to at least eight years to successfully become an Animagus, while others are lucky and it only takes a couple months or even a couple weeks!_

_To become an Animagus, all you have to do is…_

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Harry's head snapped up from the book as he heard a knock on the door, but thankfully Mrs. Black didn't wake. He shut the book, stood up, and walked to the door. Before opening it, he peered out the window. When he saw it was Tonks and Kingsley, he smiled and opened the door.

"Hey there, Harry," Tonks grinned at the teen with Kingsley.

"Where are those uncles of yours?" Kingsley chuckled.

"Upstairs. Remus is trying to convince Sirius not to commit suicide. Sirius is trying to drown himself in the shower," Harry giggled as he told them.

"Of course. I'll go get him," Kingsley walked up the stairs and to the bathroom.

"It seems like every time I see you, you have a book in your hands. You're a lot like Remus in that way," Tonks motioned towards Harry's Animagus book.

"Yeah, I get my love of reading from Remus and Sirius wants to just slap him for getting me into it," Harry smiled as Tonks laughed.

"But you do get the stubbornness from Sirius and Lily, James too. Also always getting into trouble. You get that from all of them," Tonks stated and Harry nodded.

"All very true. Sirius has tried his hardest to turn me against reading. He gave up in second year," they both laughed happily.

"What's going on now?" Sirius groaned as he walked down the stairs with Kingsley and Remus.

"Hey, you didn't drown yourself," Tonks smirked.

"Ha ha. What do you need?" Sirius glared at his cousin.

"We've been trying for hours, boss. Rodolphus won't say anything. He says we can—what were his words?—we can all go to hell and back again. Not very threatening but he's probably only like half sane," Kingsley shrugged.

"Then use Veritaserum on him. He might not actually know anything. As far as we know, Rodolphus hasn't been in communication with Voldemort for almost thirteen years already. Unless that somehow changed, I get the feeling he doesn't know much more then the fact that he's in prison for life," Sirius told his second-in-command.

"And if he doesn't know anything, what do we do?" Tonks wondered.

"Just finish questioning him and you don't have to do anything except go on guard duty tonight at Azkaban," Sirius replied.

"All right. See you later, Sirius. Bye, Harry, Remus," Kingsley nodded and he went outside to Apparate.

"Bye, guys. Don't kill yourself, Sirius," Tonks added to Sirius with a smirk and her cousin scowled.

"Goodbye, Tonks," Remus grinned as Tonks joined Kingsley.

"Bye, Nymphy," Sirius smirked as Tonks glared at him. He waved and shut the door before she could say anything.

"You know, the next time you call her that, you'll be gone," Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I know. But it's fun," Sirius shrugged. Harry shook his head and walked into the living room, getting comfortable in a chair, and opened the book again. "Why do you have to like reading?" Sirius frowned at the book in Harry's hands like it was a bad sandwich or something. Harry smiled and shrugged, not taking his eyes from the book. "I blame you," Sirius pointed at Remus who rolled his eyes as he sat on the couch.

"As you've said many times since he learned how to read," Remus stated. "What are you reading about, Harry?" Remus looked at the teenager. Instead of telling him, Harry held up the book and, still reading, showed Remus the cover.

"Animagi? You're reading about Animagi?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you reading about them? We've told you how much?" Sirius answered.

"I'm expanding on what I know," Harry said, still not looking away as he turned the page. Sirius frowned and walked back into the kitchen. A few seconds later, a big, black dog came bouncing into the living room. The dog went to Harry. He took the book in his mouth and pulled it away from the teen.

"Sirius, give it back," Harry grabbed for the book but Sirius hopped out of the way. Remus laughed as Sirius stayed just out of Harry's reach. "Sirius, come on. Give it back. Sirius, come here," Harry stood up and grabbed for his uncle again. Sirius placed the book on Remus' lap then jumped on the teen, pushing him to the ground.

"You were reading on how to become an Animagus? You're not thinking of becoming an Animagus, are you?" Remus looked at Harry who was still trying to get up. Sirius lightly whined as he looked into Harry's eyes. For a spilt second, he thought he saw a flash of James and Lily in the teen's green eyes.

"No, I'm…I'm not thinking of becoming an Animagus. First I was reading about what an Animagus was, not that I needed to, then it started to say how to do it and I just kept reading. I'm not that thick, you know," Harry said under the weight of Sirius.

"Good. Even if you were thinking about it, come to us and then wait until you're older," Remus stated.

"Can I get up now? Can I have my book back?" Harry asked and Sirius barked then licked Harry's face. "Come on, let me up," Harry finally pushed the dog off him and took the book back. Just as Harry sat down in the chair again, Sirius snatched the book away. "Sirius!" Harry said loudly. Harry chased Sirius around the house but failed at retrieving his book. Harry walked back into the living room and fell into the chair again, looking angry.

Sirius, finally back in human form, walked into the living room, holding the book and grinning. "Here. Sorry, I had to. Temptation," Sirius gave Harry the book and kissed the top of the teen's head.

"It's okay," Harry smiled.

"You're like Moony. Except he probably would have hexed me. He gets mad when people take his books," Sirius sat beside Remus on the couch.

"It's fine," Harry repeated. So Remus and Sirius watched TV and talked while Harry continued reading.

**A/N: So, question? Not that I can do anything about it even if you don't like it, but I want to know. How do you all like Sirius as the Head Auror? I had fun writing it. :P Anyways, as I said, even if you don't like it, I can't do anything about it. :P The story's already written and so is the sequel. It's all set in stone now. LOL. :P Anyways, that's all. Bye! :]**


	8. Chapter 8

It was the last day of Christmas holidays and so far nothing else had happened since the breakout. It turned out Sirius had been right about Rodolphus Lestrange. Even when given Veritaserum, he didn't know anything. Sirius had been working extra hard trying to find out where Voldemort was hiding with Bellatrix and Pettigrew, as well as trying to find the whereabouts of Lucius Malfoy.

On the last day of holidays, Sirius had finally decided it was time to go talk to Narcissa Malfoy about trading Kreacher for Dobby, since he had refused to go the day that had planned to go.

"I really don't want to do this. There are only two reasons why I would ever come here. One is to search it and two is to tear it down, with Lucius still alive inside," Sirius said coldly as he, Remus, and Harry stood in front of Malfoy Manor.

"Sirius, stop being a baby and come on," Remus and Harry walked up to the door, Sirius slowly trailing behind. Remus knocked on the door and they waited for about 5 minutes before the door opened.

"Hello, Draco. Is your mother home?" Remus said politely when Draco Malfoy answered the door. Remus and Sirius saw the death glares the teens were giving each other, causing Sirius to grab Harry's shirt and lightly pull him closer. Malfoy nodded then shut the door.

"Nice stare you were giving each other," Sirius stated sarcastically to Harry who grinned and shrugged.

"That's the stare we give each other daily," Harry replied.

* * *

><p>"Mother! It's Lupin, Black, and Potter!" Malfoy called for his mother.<p>

"Why are they here?" Narcissa Malfoy asked her son as she walked to the door.

"I don't know. I don't really care either," Malfoy answered.

"Did you invite them in, Draco?" Narcissa asked again.

"No. Mother, you're not actually going to let them in here, are you?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow at his mother.

"Of course I'm letting them in," Narcissa opened the door. "Hello, Remus. Hello, Sirius," she greeted the older wizards but pretended Harry wasn't there.

"Hello, Narcissa," Remus gave a fake smile. He looked at Sirius who was glowering at Narcissa and elbowed him in the ribs. "Be nice," he whispered.

"Hi, Narcissa," Sirius grumbled.

"Come on in. Can I get you anything? Water, tea, coffee?" The witch asked nicely.

"No, thank you," Remus declined. Both Harry and Sirius shook their heads. As they walked through the house, Sirius kept holding Harry's shirt. Sirius and Remus kept seeing Harry and Malfoy send glares at each other.

"Please, have a seat. Make yourself comfortable," Narcissa motioned to the chairs and couch.

"Thank you," Remus nodded his thanks. He and Sirius sat down with Harry in between them.

"I suppose there is a reason you came and you're not just here for a visit," Narcissa stated as she waved her wand to make herself some tea.

"Yes. We came to ask about your house elf," Remus started.

"What do you want to know?" Narcissa asked as she sipped her tea.

"We were wondering if you would trade your house elf for ours. Sirius isn't fond of ours," Remus continued.

"Well, we could but I'm not sure," Narcissa said slowly.

"You remember Kreacher, don't you, Narcissa?" Sirius said and the witch nodded. "You would get him, and I remember you used to adore that house elf when you were a kid. You would get Kreacher and we'll take Dobby," Sirius recalled the memory.

"That's true. I have always loved Kreacher. He was so sweet and kind," Narcissa smiled. Remus, Sirius, and Harry all resisted the urge to burst out laughing. Malfoy saw Harry's lips twitch and they glared at each other even harder and deeper then they had been since they got to the Manor.

"So, do you want to have Kreacher and we have Dobby?" Remus asked. Narcissa looked between the two wizards and hesitated before speaking.

"All right. You can have Dobby and we'll take Kreacher," Narcissa nodded and the wizards smiled. They called for their house elves and they made the trade. After about ten minutes, the wizards had finished everything and they had successfully traded house elves.

"Thank you, Narcissa. I'm sure you and Draco will be very happy with Kreacher," Remus smiled as Narcissa and Draco walked them out.

"It was my pleasure, and I'm sure having Kreacher will make Draco and I very happy," Narcissa opened the door for them.

"Bye, Sissi," Sirius bid goodbye to his cousin.

"See you at school, Potter. Maybe we'll get lucky and you won't be allowed back, along with the mudblood and Weasley," Draco smirked at Harry's retreating back. Sirius and Remus looked at each other, their eyes growing wide.

"Uh oh," Sirius muttered. They turned around just in time to see Harry tackle Draco to the ground.

"Draco, no! Why did you say that?" Narcissa cried as she tried to get her son off Harry.

"Harry, stop! Harry!" Remus shouted as he and Sirius pried Harry from the fight.

"We are so sorry, Narcissa. It's not like him to do this," Sirius apologized as he and Remus held tight to Harry's arms to keep him away from Draco.

"No, it's all right. It's my fault. I'm very sorry," Narcissa shook her head as she held tight to her teenager. "Bye, Sirius. Bye, Remus. Thank you again for Kreacher," Narcissa smiled.

"Bye," the older wizards smiled and dragged Harry away then Apparated home.

"Sorry 'bout that," Harry told his uncles as they walked into the house.

"It's okay. We kind of expected it to happen. Here, sit down. We need to heal the cut above your eye," Remus told Harry who sat down.

"Well, now we have Dobby. You'll love him, Sirius," Harry smiled at Sirius as Remus healed Harry's cut. "I want you to meet him. Dobby!" Harry called.

"Harry Potter called?" a house elf with large, floppy ears and big eyes smiled at Harry.

"Hi, Dobby. I just wanted Sirius and Remus to meet you," Harry grinned as Dobby turned to Harry's uncles.

"Such an honour it is to meet you Mr. Sirius Black and Mr. Remus Lupin," Dobby bowed to them.

"Dobby, I told you no bowing and just call us Harry, Remus, and Sirius. No Mr. or Master or anything," Harry told the house elf who smiled and nodded.

"Dobby, could you clean up in the drawing room? Someone was in there and didn't clean up when he and two certain people made a bag of flour explode," Remus eyed Harry who blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Of course Master Re…of course, Remus," Dobby corrected himself then walked to the drawing room.

"I like him," Sirius stated.

"Told you, and it was not my fault that the flour exploded. Ron had thrown it in the air, and when Hermione and I caught it, it exploded everywhere," Harry pointed out.

"You still could have cleaned it up," Remus said and Harry rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>That night, Sirius had, to Harry's clear disappointment, gotten called to work and had to leave, leaving Harry to stare at the chess board. They had only been halfway through he game when the owl landed on Sirius' shoulder with a letter.<p>

"Sorry. I have to go. Apparently they might have found something on Bellatrix and Pettigrew. See you tomorrow, Moony. You too, kiddo," Sirius said bye to his family then left.

"I'm going to get ready for bed," Harry gathered up the chess board and pieces and went upstairs.

Remus frowned, considering Harry had already put his pajamas on and had brushed his teeth. He shrugged and continued watching TV. It was eleven when Remus finally decided to go to bed. As he went to his room, Remus looked in on Harry to see him asleep on his bed, his lamp on, and a book open on his chest. The Defence professor smiled softly as he shut the book and put it on the end table. Then he put the teen under the covers, kissed his forehead, and turned off the lamp. He closed the teen's door then went to bed himself.

* * *

><p>"Did you send some Aurors to the cave already?" Sirius asked Kingsley when Moody had finished explaining everything.<p>

"Not yet. We wanted to get you to come. We should leave soon," Kingsley shook his head.

"Okay. Kingsley, Moody, Brooks, Smith, and Bones. All of you come with me," Sirius called for his Aurors. The team took hold of a Portkey and got transported to the cave where Voldemort and the Death Eaters were last seen.

"Okay, spilt up in pairs. Moody and Bones, you go over by that hill. Brooks and Smith, check around that clump of trees. Kingsley, you'll come with me and we're going into the cave. It seems, by the look of the fire, they left quickly. Somehow they knew we were coming. If they left quickly, they might have left something," Sirius explained and they split up. It was at least twenty minutes before anything was found.

"Hey, Black! I think we got something over here!" Smith called and everyone walked to him.

"What is it, Smith?" Sirius asked his Auror. Smith looked at Sirius and handed him a wand.

"Any idea who's it is?" Sirius asked.

"Looks to be Pettigrew's or Bellatrix's," Moody replied as he looked over the wand.

"No. It's not Bellatrix's, I've seen hers. It looks nothing like this. It's not Pettigrew's either—it's—it's Summer's," Sirius finally said.

"Who?" Smith frowned. Sirius, Kingsley, Moody, Brooks, and Bones rolled their eyes at Smith.

"Summer Watts. You know, the Death Eater that tortured that Muggle family. The one that had the three girls," Kingsley told him in an 'it's-so-obvious' voice.

"Is this all?" Sirius asked and all the others nodded. "Okay, whoever's on Azkaban guard duty tonight, get over there. The rest of you, if you have anything else you need to do, do it, otherwise go home and go to bed," the Head Auror instructed.

"What about you?" Kingsley asked his boss.

"I'm going to go to the office, examine this wand, and then I'm going home," Sirius answered.

"All right, see you later, Sirius," Kingsley said and they all disappeared with _pops _and Sirius followed.

* * *

><p>Sirius ran a hand over his tired face. He had been at the Ministry in his office for an hour and a half. He had figured out that the last spell that had been preformed had been the Imperius Curse. Sirius knew that it's possible to see a five to ten minute video thing from someone's wand. He had been trying for an hour, but for some reason it wasn't working and he was getting frustrated. There were a few different spells that could show the video, but none of them worked.<p>

"What the hell did you do to this bloody wand?" Sirius said angrily to himself. He picked up the wand, sat back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, and began to twirl the wand carefully in his fingers. He sighed, shut his eyes, and sleep quickly caught up with him.

* * *

><p>"Harry, come on. We need to go," Remus said for the tenth time.<p>

"But Sirius isn't here," Harry repeated for also the tenth time.

"I know, I know. He'll catch up, just come on," Remus told him.

"Fine," Harry sighed and they went to King's Cross.

* * *

><p>"Sirius. Sirius. Hey, Sirius. BLACK!" Kingsley yelled in Sirius' ear making him start and fall to the floor.<p>

"You're fired," Sirius glared at the Auror as he slowly stood up. He picked up Summer's wand and put it on his desk. "What do you want?" he added.

"Sirius, the Hogwarts express is going to leave in exactly four minutes! If you're not there, you are sending a very pissed off teenager to school! Now go!" Kingsley shouted.

"Damn it!" Sirius cursed and ran out of the Ministry so he could Apparate.

* * *

><p>"So much for Sirius catching up," Harry said sadly as he and Remus walked to the train.<p>

"I know. He'll probably call on the—" Remus stopped when they heard someone yelling for them.

"Wait! Harry! Remus!" the turned and saw Sirius running to them. Harry began smiling. "I am so sorry. Bye, Harry. Be good. Bye, Moony," Sirius said quickly and hugged his nephew.

"Bye, Sirius," Harry smiled.

"See you soon, Padfoot. Come on, pup. We have 1 minute." Remus waved to Sirius as they hopped on the train. Sirius watched as the train left the station then disappeared around a corner. Sirius sighed then Apparated back to the Ministry.

* * *

><p>"Hey, boss, have you figured out the wand yet?" Kingsley asked as Sirius walked through the Ministry.<p>

"Nope. They did something to prevent anyone from seeing the video thing," Sirius shook his head. "I'm wondering who tipped them off that we were coming," he added.

"What do you mean?" Kingsley asked as they sat in Sirius' office.

"Well, Voldemort and his Death Eaters knew we were coming somehow and they left in a hurry. The fire hadn't been put out completely. There were a lot of coals still burning and they were moving fast enough that Summer dropped her wand. Someone told them we were coming," Sirius told him and Kingsley nodded in agreement.

"But who would have told them?" Kingsley wondered.

"There's a spy on our team," Sirius told him.

"And, you know this, how?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"Don't do that. You look like Remus. Harry does too when he raises his eyebrow," Sirius replied. "Anyways, I've noticed things, and I have two people I think might be the spy. Rogers or Brooks," Sirius explained.

"Why do you think that?" Kingsley crossed his arms across his chest.

"Have you ever noticed that with Brooks, every once in a while he suddenly gasps in pain, grabs his left forearm, then runs off?" Sirius asked. The other Auror nodded. "Clear signs that he's probably a Death Eater. And I'm just suspecting Rogers because I don't like him," Sirius shrugged. Kingsley rolled his eyes at the last comment.

"How are you supposed to prove it? You can't just go up to Brooks or Rogers and say they're under arrest for suspicions of being Death Eaters," Kingsley pointed out.

"That's true. I'll figure something out," Sirius nodded and Kingsley sighed, knowing that whatever his boss thought of would not go well.

* * *

><p>"How is life at number twelve?" Ron asked during dinner that evening.<p>

"Dull. It's so black and depressing. Doesn't help that every time we curse, Mrs. Black starts screaming," Harry answered. He looked up at the staff table. His eyes gazed over Hagrid, Snape, McGonagall, Dumbledore, and Remus before his eyes fell on the empty seat that Sirius used to occupy between Snape and Remus. Remus saw Harry's face fall and sighed, then smiled when the Gryffindor looked at him.

Just then a brown and white owl flew into the Great Hall and landed in front of Harry.

"Must be from Sirius. Probably a Ministry owl," Harry said when his friends looked confused as he untied the letter. They nodded then started chatting as Harry opened the letter.

_Hello Potter,  
>I hope you're having fun with your friends right now because it won't last much longer. Watch you're back because we're watching your every move.<br>-Bellatrix Lestrange_

As he read, Harry's eyes grew wide, his heart beating at a rapid pace, and his breathing was very fast. Ron and Hermione had begun to argue again and weren't paying attention to him, so he glanced around the Hall, looking worried.

"Harry, what are you looking for?" Hermione suddenly asked.

"What? Oh, nothing," Harry answered but his friends still looked at him curiously. Harry looked back at the letter and realized there was a P.S.

_P.S. You will be getting a letter everyday telling you something you have to do. What we make you do won't be anything bad or embarrassing. If you don't, we will hurt or kill someone who's close to you. You've been warned._

Harry inwardly groaned and looked around at Ron, Hermione, and Remus. Harry began to look very sad and put the letter in the pocket of his robes. He went back to eating and missed the look Remus was giving him. The Defence professor had seen Harry read a letter, look around, and then look very sad as he put the letter in his pocket and began to eat again. At first her thought maybe the letter had been from Sirius, but when he saw the teenager glance around the Hall almost nervously, he reconsidered the thought. Remus knew he had to see what was in that letter because whatever it was, it was scaring the teenage boy.

"Albus, I was wondering if I could ask something?" Remus turned to the headmaster.

"Anything," Dumbledore smiled.

"Harry just got a letter and it seemed to have really scared him and make him upset. Do you think there's anyway we could get the letter because I know he won't give it to me straight," Remus wondered.

"Of course. Tomorrow, I will see if I can call him to my office. I will let you know the date," Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling.

"Thank you, sir," Remus smiled.

* * *

><p>The next day, Harry woke up and an owl landed on his bed. He sighed and looked to make sure he was alone. He took a deep breath then opened the letter.<p>

_Hello Potter,  
>I assume you're wondering when to do. Here it is. For as long as you can, avoid Lupin. Don't talk to him or anything. If he ends up getting you to talk, you can go back to talking with him and everything. If you don't do this, we will hurt your precious Sirius Black. Have fun.<br>-Lucius Malfoy_

"Damn it, damn it, damn it," Harry groaned, putting his face in his hands. "How am I supposed to do that?" he sighed. So, he got ready but didn't go to breakfast. All day, he stayed away from almost every place he would see Remus. Thankfully, he didn't have Defence that day so he went to all his classes, but didn't go to any meals. It had only been one day, but he didn't know how much longer he could go without seeing Remus.


	9. Chapter 9

It had been three days and Harry had avoided Remus the entire time, meaning he hadn't eaten in three days or gone to Defence.

"Remus, I will be calling Harry to my office after breakfast," Dumbledore told Remus as they were in the middle of breakfast. Remus nodded. Breakfast lasted for another twenty minutes before the bell rang for classes to start.

"Harry, could you come to my office please?" Dumbledore led Harry to his office. When they got to the office, Dumbledore opened the door and allowed Harry to enter. Harry froze when he saw Remus and Sirius sitting in the chairs. "Please, have a seat, Harry," Dumbledore motioned to the chair between Harry's guardians. The teen's eyes grew wide and he shook his head.

"All right. Now, Harry. On your first day back during dinner, Remus noticed you received a letter. Then since you got the letter, Remus has realized that you have been avoiding him at all costs. May we see the letter you got?" Dumbledore explained as Harry walked to the window and looked out it nervously.

"I can't let you see the letters," Harry said quietly.

"Letters? As in, plural?" Sirius repeated. Harry nodded, still not looking at the others in the office.

"Harry, we need to see the letters. We can help," Remus replied.

"No, you can't," Harry whispered. Remus and Sirius glanced at each other then at Dumbledore.

"Harry, you know, if you don't give us the letters, we can summon them," Dumbledore stated and Harry sighed, realizing he was right. Harry turned around and looked at all the older wizards. He sighed, took the letters out of his pockets, and placed them on the desk. Harry watched as they read the letters and waited, still nervous.

"Harry, this is blackmail. You should have said something," Sirius stated, looking at the teenager.

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt," Harry shrugged.

"Come here, pup," Remus motioned for Harry to come, and he walked to his uncle slowly. "I know Sirius will agree when I say this, so I'll say it. Look, for the ones that said they would hurt Ron or Hermione, I can understand that, but when it came to me and Sirius, you should have said something. Even if you didn't want anyone to get hurt. We would have been fine. Even now, we'll be fine, okay?" Remus told the teen who looked into his eyes then nodded. The older wizards smiled and finally got Harry to sit.

"You know, I bet, with Kingsley and Tonks, we might be able to find out where the Death Eaters were when they wrote these," Sirius said. "It might take a couple days, but I might be able to," he added.

"Very good. Now, since this is all done, you may go," Dumbledore smiled as they all stood and walked out of the office.

"I'll see you later, Remus. Bye, kid. Stay out of trouble," Sirius ruffled the teen's hair who glared at him as he headed outside.

* * *

><p>"Harry. Are you all right? You're very quiet," Remus wondered as they walked down the corridors. Harry shrugged. "Harry?" Remus stopped walking and got his nephew to stop as well.<p>

"It's nothing," Harry said but Remus stared at him with a knowing look. "Why does everything have to happen to me? I know, I'm the Boy Who Lived and I know the whole Prophecy thing, but why did it have to be me? Why couldn't it have been someone else? Why can't I be a normal kid? I wish—" Harry continued but Remus stopped him.

"Look, I'm guessing you think about this a lot and I can't think of a single person who deserves to be normal more than you do. I know a lot happens to you but don't worry. You'll be fine. Okay?" Remus looked at Harry who nodded. "Good. I'll see you after lunch," he hugged the teen and kissed the top of his head.

"Bye," Harry ran to Charms and Remus walked to his class.

* * *

><p>During lunch, Harry finally told Ron and Hermione about the letters. At first, they had stared at Harry with wide eyes but after he finished, they calmed down, began to eat, and changed the subject.<p>

"We have Defence after lunch. I bet you anything Umbridge is in there. She's been everywhere except History of Magic, Transfiguration, and Defence," Harry stated and they looked up where Umbridge was talking to Snape who clearly wasn't listening to a word she was saying. When the Potions master looked at Harry, the teen raised an eyebrow and Snape rolled his eyes, both of them wearing small smiles.

"Come on, Harry. Time for class," Ron stated as he and Hermione stood and the bell rang. Harry nodded, grabbed his bag, and followed his friends to Defence. The trio had been talking happily, but the conversation stopped abruptly when they saw Umbridge, with her clipboard, sitting in the corner of the classroom.

"I have a feeling this is going to go horribly wrong," Hermione whispered as the trio took their regular seats.

"All right. Today's class is easy, we're not doing too much. Turn to page one hundred and thirty-eight. We are starting werewolves. For today, I just want you to read and take notes," Remus smiled as the class opened their books, got parchment, opened their ink, got a quill, and began reading.

"How long have you been employed at Hogwarts, Mr. Lupin?" Umbridge asked as Remus sat at his desk.

"This is my third year," Remus answered.

"Did you attend school here as a child?" Umbridge continued after writing something down.

"Yes, I did," Remus said.

"From research, I have found out that you're a werewolf. Care to explain how you were able to attend school here and how you got a job?" Umbridge stated. The trio heard the statement she said, had looked up, and had stopped working, along with over half the class.

"Albus Dumbledore allowed me to attend Hogwarts. He felt I had just as much right to go to Hogwarts as any other student," Umbridge muttered something that sounded like "rubbish," but Remus ignored her. "The same goes for my getting a job here. Albus only told the staff about my condition. The rest of the school found out two years ago, which is also when I got cured," Remus told her.

"There is no cure for the curse," Umbridge said.

"I got cured two years ago. A student of mine got the special flower, brewed the potion, and cured me," Remus glanced at Harry out the corner of his eye to see the teen staring at him like the rest of the class.

"If there was a cure, the Ministry would have been informed. There is no cure. I think I have all I need. You will get your results in a week. Goodbye, Mr. Lupin," Umbridge finished writing something then left the class.

"That is not the way I pictured it going," Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione who nodded in agreement. Remus looked at the teens and smiled, trying to reassure them.

"All right, back to work," Remus told the class. It took at least another five minutes before the class continued with the work.

* * *

><p>"Please don't tell me you think Remus is getting sacked," Harry said during dinner as the trio chatted about Remus' exam.<p>

"Okay, I won't say anything. I'll think about it," Ron stated and the others stared at him.

"There's no reason to fire him," Harry replied, eating some chicken.

"Harry, you were there. We all were. We know she doesn't believe he's cured. That's why he's most likely going to get fired," Hermione told Harry.

"Well aren't we optimistic?" Harry said sarcastically and Hermione rolled her eyes, scowling.

* * *

><p>One week later, both Remus and the trio were wondering when the results of the exam were going to come. It was Saturday so Harry had taken a break from his homework and walked up to Remus' office, leaving Ron and Hermione to bicker about the homework.<p>

_I bet if they stopped bickering long enough to have a conversation, they might actually have a shot at getting together_, Harry thought as he made his way to Remus' office. When he turned a corner, he ran into Ginny, making her drop all her books.

"Oh, hi, Ginny. Sorry," Harry smiled as he helped pick up Ginny's books.

"Hi, Harry. Thanks. Where are you off to?" Ginny took the books Harry had picked up for her.

"Off to see Remus. What about you?" Harry replied.

"I just came from the library. Working on my Divination essay. Where're Ron and Hermione? Have they gotten together yet?" Ginny asked, grinning at the end.

"No, if they stopped jumping at each other's throats every two seconds, there might be a chance to get them together. When I left, they started fighting about our Charms homework." they laughed. For a couple minutes, Harry and Ginny looked into each other's eyes silently. Over the past couple years, though they'd never tell anyone, both Harry and Ginny had developed deep feelings for each other.

"You know, Harry. There's a Hogsmeade visit tomorrow, do you want to go with me?" Ginny asked, blushing a little.

"Yeah, sure. That'd be great," Harry nodded and Ginny smiled widely.

"You know—how do I say this without sounding like Ron?" Ginny said and Harry laughed. "For a couple years now, I've realized that I—I've realized that I like you a lot." Ginny finally said and Harry's eyes grew wide.

_She feels the same way I do_? Harry thought.

"Harry?" Ginny asked uncertainly. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I should go. Forget what I said. You clearly don't feel the same way," Ginny walked around Harry to leave but he grabbed her arm.

"No, it's fine. The thing is, I've felt the exact same way for a couple years as well," Harry placed both hands on her arms.

"Really?" Ginny looked into his eyes. Harry nodded.

"So, I guess since we both feel the same way—" Ginny cut him off.

"Are you asking me out, Mr. Potter? What about Remus and Sirius? Won't they say something?" Ginny grinned as Harry put a hand through her hair.

"They won't mind and if they get mad, they'll get over it," Harry said quietly as they put their foreheads together. Ginny smiled. She tilted her head up and began to kiss him. At first, Harry was surprised at what was happening then he leaned into the kiss, making Ginny moan softly.

"I should go see Remus now," Harry said when they broke apart. Ginny giggled and nodded.

"I'll see you at lunch then," Ginny turned and began walking down the corridor. Harry smiled to himself and walked to Remus' office again. When he got to the office, he knocked and entered when Remus invited him in.

"Hey, Remus," Harry grinned as he sat down.

"What's going on? You're in a very good mood," Remus looked up from something he was reading.

"I know. As I was coming here I ran into Ginny," Harry nodded, still smiling widely.

"Really? What happened?" Remus looked down at the paper he was reading and took a drink of his coffee.

"We kissed," Harry said quietly and Remus spit out his coffee.

"You what?" Remus stared at his nephew.

"We kissed. I just asked her out. We've liked each other for two years," Harry replied.

"Oh Merlin. Harry, I hope you know what you're doing. Don't rush into anything and don't take advantage of her," Remus said.

"Remus, I'm not like how Sirius was. I'm not going to sleep with her and never talk to her again. I really like Ginny. I'm not going to be stupid. I'm not going to kiss her then end it. I won't rush and I definitely won't take advantage of her," Harry crossed his arms across his chest. Remus smiled.

"Good. I'm glad you two finally got together," Remus sat back.

"Thanks. Now we need to get Hermione and Ron together. It's been forever and everyone knows they fancy each other," Harry sighed. Just as Remus was going to say something, the bell rang. "I should get to lunch. Ginny's expecting me," Harry stood up and began to walk out of the office.

"Wait, Harry!" Remus called and Harry turned. "I need to tell you something. Sit down," Remus said and Harry sat down again.

"What's up?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I got the results back from my exam with Umbridge," Remus started slowly.

"And?" Harry waited. Remus sighed and looked in the teen's eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

"I got fired, pup. I have to leave the castle tonight," Remus told Harry who frowned.

"What? No, you can stay here. Dumbledore will let you stay. He let Trelawney stay," Harry said. Remus walked around the desk and sat in the chair beside Harry.

"I'm sorry, pup. I can't stay here. I have to pack my things then I'll be going back to number twelve," Remus told the teen.

"Maybe Umbridge will disappear or something and you can come back," Harry stated.

"Don't do anything. You should get down to lunch. I'll see you later," Remus lightly pushed Harry to the door.

"Okay. Bye, Remus," Harry sighed and went down to lunch.

* * *

><p>As Harry walked to Gryffindor table, Ginny just finished telling Ron and Hermione about how she and Harry had begun to date.<p>

"Hi, Harry. I was just telling—what's wrong?" Ginny said as Harry sat down.

"Umbridge fired Remus. He has to leave the castle tonight," Harry stated, eating an apple.

"Oh no. I'm so sorry, Harry," Ginny kissed his cheek as Ron and Hermione looked at him sadly. They sat in silence for a while before Hermione spoke.

"Harry, Ron and I had been telling Ginny about how we're attempting to do what it is we're doing," Hermione spoke and Harry looked up. Since the end of the previous year, the trio had begun to try and become Animagi. It had been quite a few months and they hadn't gotten anywhere. "I was thinking we should try again. We could go into the Room of Requirement and do it," Hermione added.

"Yeah, definitely. Tomorrow after the Hogsmeade visit," Harry nodded.

* * *

><p>That evening after six, Sirius had come to Hogwarts to help Remus. Harry walked from the Great Hall up to Remus' office. He knocked on the open door.<p>

"Hey, Harry," Remus smiled as the teen walked into the almost empty office.

"So, who's taking over for you?" Harry asked as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Do you really want to know?" Sirius asked.

"I kind of need to know and I'm not in the mood to be surprised on Monday," Harry nodded.

"Umbridge is taking over," Sirius and Remus watched Harry's mouth drop open.

"You've got to be joking!" Harry cried but when his uncles shook their heads, the teen groaned loudly. "Well, it seems the year can't get worse," Harry sighed even thought they all knew it wasn't true.

"Well, this is the last of my stuff. See you, Harry," Remus hugged Harry and ruffled his hair.

"See you," Harry said and watched his guardians Floo back to Grimmauld Place. The Gryffindor gazed around the office sadly then slowly walked back to Gryffindor Tower.

* * *

><p>"Remus is gone and Umbridge is taking over the Defence post," Harry collapsed into chair with Ginny who had been playing chess with Ron as Hermione watched them.<p>

"You're kidding?" Hermione said incredulously, but Harry shook his head sighing.

"Nope, Sirius and Remus just told me," Harry replied.

"Checkmate," Ginny said and left Ron to wonder how she beat him. "Since we've hardly talked since lunch, Hermione and Ron told me that the three of you are trying to become Animagi. How far along are you?" Ginny leaned into her new boyfriend as he put an arm around her.

"I think we almost have it. We all have the incantation part but now we just need to learn the other half. Don't know what it is yet," Harry answered. "Hey, want to do it with us?" Harry added.

"Yeah, you wanna?" Ron asked.

"You bet I do," Ginny replied happily.

"This is great. We definitely have to do it tomorrow," Hermione smiled.

"I wonder what our forms will be," Ron wondered aloud and the others dove into their own thoughts.

* * *

><p>The next day, it was a very cold, windy, and snowy day. All the students going to Hogsmeade that day, dressed in scarves, hats, mitts, and jackets.<p>

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. It's freezing out here," Ginny said as they all shielded their faces from the violent wind.

"Good idea," Ron said and the four Gryffindors walked into the pub. They sighed in relief as the warmth entered their bodies and they sat down. When the owner, Madam Rosemerta, walked over to them, they all ordered butterbeers.

"You know, if it wasn't freezing outside, this would have been a brilliant visit," Harry chuckled and Ginny slapped his arm. "What'd I do?" Harry rubbed his arm. For about fifteen minutes, the four students sat in the pub, talking and drinking butterbeer. Just as they were going to order another round of drinks, screams sounded out and the 4 teenagers looked out the window to see all the students running and screaming.

"What the hell?" Ron breathed and they all took their wands out, running out of the pub. When they looked around, they didn't see anything so Harry stopped Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"Death Eaters! Down by Zonko's and Honeydukes! They're setting everything on fire and stunning everyone near them!" Dean cried and began running up to Hogwarts again with Seamus and everyone else.

"You lot, go back to the castle and call Sirius or Remus. They'll get Aurors. I'm going to go," Harry told his friends.

"Harry, you are not fighting off over twenty Death Eaters alone. We're coming," Ron stated, still gripping his wand.

"I need someone to call them though," Harry said.

"I'll go. You, Ron, and Hermione go down there. I'll be back," Ginny stated and ran off towards the castle.

"Let's go," Harry said to his friends who nodded and they ran to where the Death Eaters were. When they got there, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked around in horror as fire blazed off some buildings. "Look around, revive anyone you find unconscious. I'll start with the Death Eaters," Harry instructed and his friends went in different directions. Harry snuck behind a burning building and carefully searched for Death Eaters.

"Gotcha," Harry whispered when he saw a group of Death Eaters walking through Hogsmeade and towards Hogwarts. He jumped out from his hiding place and the group turned around. "You miss me?" he smirked.

"_Stupefy_!" a Death Eater, the sounded like Bellatrix, cried.

"_Protego_!" Harry shouted.

"_Expelliarmus_!" the spell missed.

"_Reducto_!" Harry's spell just skimmed the mask of one of the Death Eaters, making the mask fly off and reveal Lucius Malfoy.

"_Impedimenta_!" Bellatrix yelled but it missed.

"_Conjunctivitis_!" Harry cried but also missed.

"_Cru_—" Summer began but stopped when someone sent a stunning curse.

"_Stupefy_!" Ron yelled, stunning McNair. Lucius and Bellatrix turned around, spotting Hermione and Ron.

"_Stupefy_!" Lucius shouted and Ron fell to the ground, unconscious.

"_Stupefy_!" Bellatrix also cried and the spell hit Hermione. They turned back around and they rounded on Harry.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Bellatrix smirked and Harry's wand flew into her hands. She threw it aside and Harry's eyes grew wide.

"Seems you can't do much anymore, Potter," Lucius said coldly.

"_Crucio_!" Summer yelled. Harry fell to the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. After a few seconds, Harry began to taste blood. He didn't know how long he was under the curse, but after forty-five seconds he saw nothing but black.

* * *

><p>"Wait, she fired you for being a werewolf even though you're not?" Kingsley repeated. Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Remus, and Sirius were all sitting in the living room, sipping coffee and butterbeer.<p>

"Yep," Remus nodded.

"Git. Hey, maybe you could get a job at the Ministry," Tonks said.

"I don't think—Ginny?" Remus looked at the fireplace where Ginny's face had appeared.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked.

"Attack. Hogsmeade. Death Eaters. Harry, Ron, and Hermione," Ginny said quickly and everyone stood up.

"We'll be right there," Remus stated and Ginny disappeared.

"Moody, get Rogers and Evans and come to Hogsmeade. We'll see you there," Sirius told Moody then ran outside with Kingsley, Tonks, and Remus and Disapparated to Hogsmeade.

* * *

><p>When they got there, Sirius and the others saw a couple students running down the path. As they got closer, Sirius and Remus realized the students were Cho Chang and Luna Lovegood.<p>

"Where's Harry and his friends?" Sirius asked Cho who was crying. She pointed down the road where some buildings were still burning and there was a group of wizards crowded around a shape on the ground. The student began screaming and twisting on the ground.

"Come on," they all got their wands out and ran down the road.

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius yelled. His spell missed and all the Death Eaters turned around. Sirius saw Lucius and Bellatrix quickly disappear and saw Summer smirk before disappearing with a _pop _as well. Sirius and Remus ran with the others over to where the Death Eaters had been to see three unconscious people on the ground.

"Harry's missing his wand," Tonks said when she knelt beside the boy. Remus frowned and looked around until he saw a stick in the snow.

"Found it. We should get them up to the castle," Remus pocketed the wand. They conjured stretchers and brought the teens up to the hospital wing.

* * *

><p>When the wizards had gotten into the hospital wing, Dumbledore was there talking with Madam Pomfrey, who guided the unconscious students to some beds. After checking them over, the nurse told them that Ron and Hermione were just stunned, but Harry had been held under the Cruciatus Curse for two minutes.<p>

"I'll stay here with Harry. Remus, you go with Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Evans, and Rogers to Hogsmeade. Put out the fires and start rebuilding the shops," Sirius told Remus and his Aurors. Remus nodded, kissed Harry's forehead, and then followed the others to the village.

Sirius sighed and sat beside Harry's bed, taking the teen's hand. He looked at Harry's pale face and pushed hair out of his face. His godson was deathly pale, sweating, and breathing fast.

Then Harry coughed and moaned as his eyes fluttered open. "Sirius—" he muttered.

"Hey. You okay?" Sirius said quietly, putting a hand through the boy's hair.

"Headache," Harry said shortly. "Sirius…Summer…torture," the teen choked.

"I know. It's all right," Sirius gripped Harry's hand tighter which gripped back.

"Wait, where are Ron and 'Mione?" Harry suddenly said, starting to sit up but Sirius pushed him back.

"Stay down. Madam Pomfrey will have my head if I let you sit up," Sirius replied and Harry smiled weakly. "Anyways, Hermione and Ron are fine. They're here. They only got Stunned. They're getting released tomorrow morning. You have to stay for a couple days," Sirius told the teen who relaxed.

"Where's Remus?" Harry asked.

"He went back to Hogsmeade with the Aurors. He's helping to put out the fires and to rebuild the buildings," the Head Auror told his nephew. "You should get back to sleep. Remus will be by later. Take this," Sirius gave Harry a Sleeping Potion from the end table. Harry drained the potion and was asleep in seconds. Sirius sighed again, sat back in his chair, and also fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Harry woke up when he heard voices around him.<p>

"How many were caught?" he heard Ron ask.

"Unfortunately only one. We only got McNair, but that's because he was Stunned," Remus answered.

"Did you get all the buildings rebuilt?" Sirius wondered.

"There were five on fire. We got them all rebuilt except one. We couldn't rebuild The Hog's Head. It's completely gone," Tonks replied.

"That's not a total loss. At least it wasn't Zonko's, Honeydukes, or the Three Broomsticks," Hermione stated.

"If the Three Broomsticks was gone, Sirius would go mad," Harry said, making everyone turn and he sat up.

"Hey there, pup. Are you all right?" Remus smiled as they all went to Harry's bed.

"Still have a headache. Did anyone get really hurt? Besides me," he added quickly.

"No, just you. Ron and Hermione only got stunned, as Sirius told you last night. Ron and Hermione said they revived almost fifteen students who had been Stunned," Kingsley answered.

"Harry, one question. What the hell were you doing?" Sirius cried.

"What?" Harry frowned.

"You could have gotten killed! You were in the middle of over twenty Death Eaters…alone! Why didn't you go back to the school?" Sirius shouted.

"I couldn't just leave. There were students unconscious, buildings on fire. I couldn't let them destroy the village then try and destroy Hogwarts," Harry told them.

"So, you would have rather risked your life instead of going where Dumbledore could have protected you?" Remus furrowed his eyebrows. Harry didn't answer.

"Kingsley, go to the Ministry with the others and try and get something out of McNair. Ron and Hermione, go down to breakfast." Sirius told the others in the hospital wing. When they were all gone, Sirius turned back to Harry and Remus.

"Now what do we do?" Sirius sighed.

"About what?" Harry frowned again.

"Harry, we need you to stay inside Hogwarts. We can't have you, Hermione, and Ron running around outside where you can get hurt or killed. Now, we can't stop Ron or Hermione, but Molly will deal with them. Harry, we need you to promise us that you will not leave the Hogwarts grounds," Remus said. Harry looked both his guardians in the eye and nodded.

"I promise," he nodded, crossing his fingers under the blankets.

"Thank you," Sirius smiled, putting a hand through the boy's hair. "We're only doing this because we love you and we don't want anything to happen to you," he added and Harry nodded, smiling at them both.

_He just had to go and say that_, Harry inwardly groaned.

* * *

><p>The next day around lunch, Harry convinced Madam Pomfrey to release him early and he walked to the Great Hall.<p>

"Hey, Harry. How are you?" Ginny smiled and kissed her boyfriend's cheek.

"All right. Finally convinced Pomfrey to let me go early," Harry answered as he began to eat.

"So, when should we try the Animagus thing again?" Ron asked.

"How about tonight?" Harry suggested.

"How? We'd have to go out after hours—oh—" Hermione grinned as she caught on when Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly. We'll use the map and my Invisibility Cloak Me, Ron, and Hermione will have to go first, then I'll come back to the common room and get Ginny," Harry replied.

"Perfect," Ron grinned.

* * *

><p>"Ron, stop stepping on me," Hermione hissed.<p>

"Well, walk faster," Ron snapped.

"Shut up. We're almost there," Harry whispered to his friends angrily. They walked down a corridor then stopped when a door appeared.

"Okay, I'll be right back with Ginny," Harry told Ron and Hermione and left to get Ginny.

* * *

><p>"Did you get anything out of McNair, Padfoot?" Remus asked, handing a butterbeer to Sirius.<p>

"Nope and we didn't have any Veritaserum," Sirius sighed. Just as Remus was going to speak, an owl landed on Sirius' knee. "Gotta go. He's suddenly decided to talk. See you later, Moony," Sirius walked to the fire and Flooed to the Ministry. Remus ran a hand through his hair tiredly and headed off to bed.

* * *

><p>"So, Ginny, you have the incantation part, right?" Harry asked.<p>

"Yep. I'm at the same point as you three now," Ginny nodded.

"Okay, now the book says you have to relax, close your eyes, and imagine the place you're most comfortable," Hermione read. Harry shut his eyes and imagined sitting with Sirius and Remus on either side of him. He kept the image in his head and began to feel himself shrinking.

"Wow," Hermione and Ginny gasped.

"Bloody hell, Harry. You did it!" Ron grinned excitedly. Ginny summoned a mirror and Harry looked into it. He had grown black feathers and had a little spot of grey on his forehead

"You're a raven!" Ginny laughed as Harry transformed back to human.

"Awesome. Your guys' turn." Harry smiled and watched his friends. After an hour they all had succeeded in transforming. Ron had taken longer than the others, but in the end, had managed it. Ginny was a fox, Ron was a dog, and Hermione was an owl.

"We did it!" Ron exclaimed happily.

"Come on. We should go. It's already midnight," Hermione said and the others agreed. Harry opened the Marauder's Map and looked for anyone who could catch them.

"It's clear. Let's go," Harry told them. They cautiously opened the door then walked slowly to Gryffindor Tower. As they were walking, Harry saw Remus' name with Dumbledore's in the headmaster's office.

_Why is Remus here_? He wondered silently. He moved his eyes from his uncle's name and looked around for Filch or other professors.

* * *

><p>"I know you don't work for the Ministry but I want you to help with something that just happened," Dumbledore told Remus who frowned.<p>

"What happened?" Remus asked.

"There's been an attack on St. Mungo's," Dumbledore said gravely. Remus sighed and nodded.

"Let's go," Remus and Dumbledore walked to the fire and Flooed to St. Mungo's.


	11. Chapter 11

"Are the Death Eaters gone?" Remus asked Sirius who just finished giving orders.

"No. They're lingering around and we don't know why. We have no idea where they are right now either, just that they're here. One minute. Has anyone seen Brooks? I need him," Sirius answered then walked over to Tonks, Evans, and Kingsley.

"Haven't seen him, sir. Not since we came from Azkaban duty," Evans replied and Sirius ran a hand through his hair.

"All right. Get back to where I put you and tell me if Brooks shows up," Sirius walked back to Remus who finished talking with Dumbledore.

"The Death Eaters are—" Just as Remus was going to say something, there was a huge explosion that shook the building. A few screams came and Sirius looked around violently.

"What the hell?" they heard Tonks shout.

"Kingsley, Tonks, Moody! Come with me. Evans, Dawlish, Johnson, Rogers, and Bones! Stay here in case anyone comes," Sirius ordered. "Where the hell is Brooks?" he added angrily.

He shook his head and got Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks to follow him, and they began to walk to where the explosion had happened. Just as they were going to turn a corner, there was a flash of green and about ten Death Eaters appeared. Sirius and the others spun around in time to see the Death Eaters setting a bunch of stuff on fire.

"Oh, hell no!" Kingsley groaned.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Moody yelled and a Death Eater's wand flew into his hands.

"Snap it," Sirius told Moody quickly who obeyed. "_Stupefy_!" Sirius shouted and the Death Eaters turned on him.

"_Crucio_!" Lucius Malfoy sent his curse but missed

"_Impedimenta_!" Tonks cried and hit one of the Death Eaters. She ran over, stunned him, and tied him.

"_Reducto_!" Bellatrix Lestrange shouted, her curse heading for Sirius.

"_Protego_!" Sirius yelled just in time. They all fought for twenty minutes. Tonks got cut on the leg, Kingsley got stunned and hit his head while he fell. Sirius also got hit with a cutting curse on his leg, chest, his left hand, his right shoulder, and on the side of his head.

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius shouted but missed his target.

"_Sectumsempra_!" Bellatrix cried and the hex hit Sirius who fell to the floor.

"Oh my God!" Tonks shrieked when she saw deep cuts open up on her cousin and began to bleed freely.

"Call Severus. Quickly," Dumbledore instructed. Remus ran to the fire and called Snape who appeared a few seconds later. Snape ran over to Sirius, took out his wand, and muttered the counter curse and Sirius' cuts closed up.

"_Stupefy_!" Lucius yelled and it hit Sirius. Lucius, Bellatrix, and the other Death Eaters smirked then Disapparated.

"God damn it!" Moody growled.

"Sirius has lost a lot of blood. He will have to rest and eat a lot for a couple days. He'll live though. He's lucky. See you later," Snape explained then Flooed back to Hogwarts.

"Since St. Mungo's is destroyed, let's bring Sirius home," Remus said and they all went back to number twelve and put Sirius in his room. They called Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley who looked over Sirius and gave him potions.

"So, how are you going to tell Harry about Sirius?" Bill Weasley asked Remus who sighed.

"That's what I'm scared about doing," Remus said and Bill chuckled.

"He'll find out no matter what. He's a really smart kid," Bill pointed out and Remus nodded.

"That's the problem. He's too smart for his own good," Remus replied and Bill started to laugh harder, nodding in agreement. "How bad is it?" he asked when Madam Pomfrey walked over to him, Bill, Tonks, and Kingsley.

"He'll be just fine. He just needs rest, lots of food, and lots of fluids. He'll be better in about a week. I've given him a Dreamless Sleep Potion and a Pain-Free Potion. Try not to put too much stress on him," Madam Pomfrey explained to Remus who breathed deeply in relief.

"Are we gonna be able to tell him about the Death Eater we caught?" Tonks wondered..

"You mean the spy you caught?" the nurse confirmed. They all nodded. "Yes, you can. He'll be fine. I'm going to leave a Pain-Free Potion, even though I'm sure you already have some, and if he needs it, give it to him. Everything's absolutely fine. Bye," Madam Pomfrey smiled then went downstairs to Floo to Hogwarts.

"Well, we're all gonna head out. We'll be back maybe tomorrow," Kingsley said and all the others agreed.

"Okay, well, bye everyone. Thanks for the help," Remus said and they all went downstairs to Floo.

_Either Harry hears it from me or he reads about it in the paper tomorrow. Well, it's already one-thirty in the morning. He'll be asleep_, Remus thought to himself as he headed to bed.

_Would the time matter to you if you were Harry_? Another voice in his head that sounded like Sirius said.

_Perfect. I'm having an argument with my head. I'm going to see Dumbledore tomorrow anyways_, Remus thought again.

_Harry will read about it before you get to him_, the other voice said again.

"I should get to sleep," Remus mumbled and he went to bed.

_He's gonna find out_, the other voice that sounded like Sirius said in a sing-song voice. Remus rolled his eyes at himself and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The next day, Harry sat across from his friends and listened to them argue.<p>

"Merlin was from the sixteenth century, Ron, not the eighteenth! Professor Binns taught us that a couple weeks ago!" Hermione said angrily to Ron. Thankfully, at that moment, the owls came in with the mail. Hermione grabbed for her _Daily Prophet_and opened it.

"So, Potter. How is your precious Black doing?" Malfoy stated as he, Crabbe, and Goyle walked up behind the trio, making the Gryffindors turn around.

"What are you on about, Malfoy?" Harry glared at Malfoy and his friends who smirked then walked away. As Harry and Ron glared at the Slytherins' retreating backs, Hermione was reading an article in the paper then gasped, making the boys turn back to her.

"Oh Merlin," Ron said as he scanned the article.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Uh—uh—umm—well—why—" Hermione stuttered and glanced at Ron as they both looked worried.

"What?" Harry reached for the paper and looked at the article.

_Attack on St. Mungo's Hospital!__  
>Late last night, Death Eaters attack St. Mungo's hospital. Aurors arrived on the scene immediately and there ended up being a fight. Many people were killed. These Deaths include Aurors Eric Smith and Mark Johnson. While in this battle, Head Auror, Sirius Black got hit with a curse and it happened to be a killing curse. Black as seen being taken out of the Ministry…<em>

Harry looked up at his friends, all the colour falling from his face.

"No," he breathed.

"Harry—" Hermione said softly. Harry dropped the paper and ran out of the Hall and up to Dumbledore's office. He stopped at the gargoyle.

"Umm—damn it! Uh, sherbet lemon," Harry guessed and was relieved when the gargoyle moved. He ran up the stairs and fell through the door.

"Hey, Harry," Remus said quietly, approaching and kneeling before Harry on the floor. "Come on. Let's sit," Remus helped Harry up and put an arm around the boy's shoulders as they walked to the chairs.

"Sirius—Sirius—" Harry said, looking at Remus and Dumbledore, waiting for one of them to say something.

"Have you read the paper, Harry?" Dumbledore asked and Harry nodded, wiping at the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.

Remus sighed and shook his head. "Harry, Sirius is fine. He's at home right now sleeping. He was awake earlier today," Remus said as Harry turned to him.

"He's—? But the—the—paper—" Harry stuttered.

"Did you see who wrote that article, Harry?" Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"No," Harry shook his head.

"It was Rita Skeeter. She wrote the article," Remus told the boy.

"So he's—he's not—" Harry choked.

"No, Sirius isn't dead. He's just fine," Remus smiled and hugged Harry who leaned into his chest.

"As I was saying before Harry arrived, Harry can take a week off and stay at home. That way he can be with Sirius and you can all catch up," Dumbledore gazed at Harry who frowned in confusion.

_Did he know about he, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny becoming Animagi_? Harry thought, looking at the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes.

"You'll be coming home tomorrow. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny are allowed to come over the day after tomorrow. You should get to class, Harry. I'll see you tomorrow," Remus gave Harry one last hug then the teen stood and walked to the door. Before he left, Harry stopped and looked at the headmaster, who was still watching him and Harry thought he saw the older wizard smile. The Gryffindor frowned then left.

* * *

><p>"I think Dumbledore knows that we became Animagi," Harry told Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.<p>

"It's Dumbledore. He knows all," Hermione stated and Harry nodded.

"So, Sirius is alive, right?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, like I said, Rita Skeeter wrote that article. I'm going home tomorrow for week and you three can come over the day after tomorrow," Harry nodded and they all smiled.

"We should all try out our Animagi forms," Ron grinned and the others agreed.

* * *

><p>"Time to go, pup. Sirius is expecting us soon," Remus told Harry who ran up to get his trunk.<p>

"See you tomorrow," Harry kissed Ginny's cheek then followed Remus. "Sirius is finally awake again? Who all is going to be there?" Harry said as they walked down to the village.

"Maybe Tonks, Kingsley, or Mrs. Weasley, and yes he's awake. He sleeps quite a bit but he said he'll try to stay awake since you're here," Remus answered.

"But doesn't he need a lot of rest? I don't want him to lose sleep just because I'm at home," Harry stated and Remus smiled.

"It's his third day off. He won't be sleeping as much anymore. Now he just needs to eat and drink," Remus replied and Harry took Remus' arm and they Apparated in front of Grimmauld Place.

"Oh, hey, Remus. Hi, Harry," Tonks and Kingsley greeted when they walked in the house.

"Hi, Tonks, Kingsley. Where's Sirius?" Remus said as Harry set his trunk down.

"Upstairs still. He fell asleep almost as soon as you left," Kingsley told them and Remus nodded.

"Come on, Harry. We'll be right back," Remus ushered Harry up to his bedroom. "You can go into Sirius' room and see him. I'll be downstairs. I need to talk with Kingsley and Tonks," Remus told Harry, ruffled his hair, and then went down the stairs.

Harry walked down the hall and into Sirius' room. He smiled when he saw his godfather sleeping soundly in his bed. Harry pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. He saw a book under the bed and he opened it. He saw it was a photo album and he flipped through the pages. Harry saw there were a lot of pictures of the Marauders, Lily, Summer, and Harry when he was a baby.

"I get the feeling you were much better as a baby instead of a teenager," a voice said and Harry saw Sirius grinning and sitting up. Harry smiled, sat on the bed, and hugged Sirius, burying his face in Sirius' chest.

"I thought you were dead," Harry's muffled voice said into Sirius' robes.

"I figured as much after I saw the paper," Sirius moved a hand onto Harry's back and rubbed it in comfort. "No one can finish me off that easy. It takes more than that to get rid of Sirius Black," Sirius grinned, stroking Harry's hair.

"I thought I lost you. I never would have been able to deal with it alone," Harry finally just rested against his godfather's chest.

"Maybe, but you wouldn't have been alone. There would have been Remus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, all the Weasleys, and so many others. If I try to say them, it'll take all day," Sirius said and Harry laughed. "This kind of thing happens in war and no matter what happens, there will always be at least one person there with you," Sirius added, kissing the top of Harry's black hair.

"Can I ask you something?" Harry sat up and looked Sirius in the eye.

"Anything."

"The Prophecy says that 'neither can live while the other survives' which means I have to kill Voldemort or vice versa. Does that mean I have to fight him alone?" Harry looked into Sirius' blue eyes.

"No, you don't. You'll have help the whole way except the times you need to do on your own, but I know two people who won't bail on you," Sirius answered, smiling with Harry. They stayed silent for a bit before Sirius spoke again "So what's this I heard about you and Ginny?" Harry rolled his eyes.

_Leave it to Sirius to change the subject_, Harry chuckled.

"We're dating. Ron, Fred, George, Bill, and Charlie already gave me the threatening talk," Harry said.

"How did that go?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Let's just say the threat involved the current arrangement of my face," Harry replied and Sirius laughed. "They're very protective of Ginny. I guess because she's the only girl and the youngest. I understand though. I love Ginny and I won't hurt her," Harry told Sirius who was grinning.

"Good. Are Hermione and Ron together yet?" Sirius stated.

"No. They're too busy tearing at each other's throats," Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius."

"Yeah?"

"Don't ever do that again," Harry cuddled against Sirius who held him closer.

"It's not like I sighed up for it," Sirius sighed.

"Technically you did when you became an Auror, Sirius," Harry replied and Sirius smacked the boy's arm playfully.

"Cheeky brat," Sirius grinned.

"You and Remus say that at least once a week," Harry answered.

"Harry, could we have a minute? We need to talk with Sirius," Remus said as he, Tonks, and Kingsley stood in the doorway. Harry nodded. As he walked by, Remus ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

"So let's chat about our long lost friends, shall we?" Kingsley stated sarcastically as they all sat down.

"What happened with our buddies?" Sirius asked with the same amount of sarcasm.

"Malfoy and Bellatrix left with a few others after leaving you to watch your life flash by. They all got away except one. The one that Tonks got," Remus replied and Sirius looked at them expectantly.

"Well, who is it?" he asked. Kingsley looked at Remus, nodded, and Remus handed Sirius a file. "Looks like we found our spy. How many dead?" Sirius said as he looked at the picture of his Auror, Corey Brooks.

"About twenty patients, all the night-shift Healers, and two Aurors," Kingsley told his boss.

"Who?" he asked again.

"Smith and Johnson. Nott killed Smith and Malfoy killed Johnson," Tonks told her cousin.

"Do they have something against my Aurors or something?" Sirius frowned.

"Well, you are kind of fighting against them, Padfoot," Remus replied. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Who were some of the patients?" Sirius wondered.

"Gilderoy Lockhart, the Longbottoms, and some others we don't know," Tonks answered.

"Why was Lockhart in the hospital?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows.

"In Harry's second year, down in the Chamber, he tried to erase Harry's memory with Ron's wand, but it backfired because Ron's wand was broken," Remus explained and Sirius chuckled.

"So Lockhart and the Longbottoms. Why would they kill the Longbottoms? Bellatrix already drove them to insanity," Sirius said and all the others shrugged.

"OW! Ron! Why did you bite me?" they heard Harry yell.

"Sorry, mate. Ginny, would you get down off the fridge! You might get hurt! Where's Hermione?" Ron answered.

"I'm right here," Hermione said.

"Come on. At the same time. One…two…three," Harry said and everything went quiet.

"What was that about?" Tonks frowned.

"Dunno. Let's go but let's be quiet," Remus stated and they all walked down the stairs quietly. When they got to the bottom they gaped when they saw a fox jumping at a raven and a dog jumping at an owl.

"Oh my God!" Sirius cried and the animals stopped. They all changed back and faced the adults with worried faces.

"Tonks, Kingsley. Could we continue this tomorrow?" Remus said, still staring at Harry and his friends.

"Of course. Bye, Sirius," Tonks and Kingsley nodded, then Flooed back to the Ministry.

"Living room. Now," Sirius said and the teens went and sat in the living room. They waited for a few minutes and listened as they called Mrs. Weasley.

"Oh man," Ron and Ginny groaned.

"Ronald and Ginevra!" the two red heads grimaced at her voice.

"Hermione, Molly will talk to you as well. Harry, come with us," Remus said and they lead Harry outside. They walked in silence before they arrived at the park and they sat on the swings.

"When?" Sirius asked and Harry visibly winced at the thought of beginning the conversation.

"We started trying at the end of last year. We finished a couple days ago," Harry answered quietly.

"Why did you do it?" Remus asked and as Harry was going to speak, Sirius did.

"Let me guess. You thought just because your father and I did it, you figured you should? And you thought it would be a good weapon against Voldemort?" Sirius said sternly. Harry nodded weakly, still avoiding his guardians' eyes.

"Harry, just because they did it, doesn't mean it's okay for you to. Do you have any idea how dangerous it is? They had many close calls, hospital visits. And to bring Ron, Hermione, and Ginny into it," Remus stated, his voice calming.

"The whole thing was Hermione's idea. She brought it up and we decided to do research on it, and then try it," Harry told them.

"It doesn't matter whose idea it was. It could have been McGonagall's, for all we know, but that doesn't matter. But, weren't you the one that asked Ginny if she wanted to do it also?" Sirius replied.

"We all mentioned it to her," Harry mumbled.

"Harry, look. When I became an Animagus it was the best thing I did and it was the same for James. We got to help Remus and it's an advantage for being an Auror," Sirius said and Harry sighed.

"What would you say if I told you both me and Ron want to be Aurors and Hermione and Ginny want to be Aurors or Healers?" Harry stated, kicking some rocks. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other.

"Well, I guess you all have good disguises for any attacks," Remus and Sirius smiled at the teen who finally looked at them.

"Really?" Harry asked, smiling.

"Yep, but this doesn't mean we're completely happy with this, and with that said, you're grounded for the week and you have to clean the library. You left it a mess," Remus said and Harry groaned.

"Oh, come on. That library is huge," Harry complained as they walked back to the house.

"We could get you to do the library at Hogwarts, including the Restricted Section," Sirius grinned.

"I'm good," Harry said and they laughed. They walked into Grimmauld Place and stopped at the living room when they heard Mrs. Weasley still yelling.

"IT'S ILLEGAL! YOU BROKE SO MANY RULES! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW DANGEROUS THAT WAS? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA?" Mrs. Weasley yelled and the three kids winced. She had been saying almost the same thing for the past fifteen minutes. Harry and his guardians noticed that the teens had sunk very far down on the couch. Ron and Ginny kept glancing at Hermione, not wanting to say it was her idea. She looked almost grateful that no one had said it was her idea yet.

"Did you say it was Hermione's idea? That Hermione?" Sirius whispered to Harry.

"Yeah, how many Hermione's do you know?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"But, she's the perfect, never-broken-any-rules one. What happened?" Remus added quietly.

"I don't know. She said it's exciting to break the rules. We've also decided to form our own Defence group since we're not learning anything from Umbridge. We're using the Room of Requirement. There's going to be a large group of kids and I'll be teaching everyone Defence. That was mostly Hermione's idea too," Harry chuckled.

"You're just taking charge, aren't you?" Sirius grinned.

"I guess you could say that," Harry shrugged.

"Mrs. Weasley, can I say something?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Of course, dear," Mrs. Weasley looked to Hermione.

"Umm, don't blame Ron, Ginny, or Harry for the idea because—because it was my idea. I suggested becoming Animagi," Hermione stated and the other teens' eyes grew wide as they looked between Hermione and Mrs. Weasley.

"It was—" the woman trailed off.

"My idea, yes," Hermione nodded.

"Well, that changes some. Ron and Ginny, you two are grounded for a week," Mrs. Weasley stated and the kids groaned. "Come on, we're going home. You too, Hermione. With us," Mrs. Weasley led the kids to the fireplace and they all disappeared.

"All right. We'll have lunch then you have a library to clean," Remus said to Harry and they went to the kitchen.

"Great," Harry replied sarcastically.


	12. Chapter 12

About a week later, Sirius had made a full recovery and had gone back to work, while Harry went back to Hogwarts. Remus, while being home alone a lot, decided to go to the Ministry and expand on Tonks' idea. He had gone and spoken with someone in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures about getting a job, and he was just waiting for the reply. Remus had been stressed since he woke up since it was the day his answered was supposed to come. As he was going to begin eating his breakfast, a brown owl and a snowy white owl flew in front of him, hooting.

"Figures. As soon as I start eating they come and as soon as he's back at school, that boy has to know what's going on," Remus muttered as he untied the letters, the brown one flying off but Hedwig stayed and ate his toast. "Hey. That was mine if you didn't notice," Remus glared at the owl who seemed to roll her eyes. "You're like Harry. Now, go," Remus tried to shoo the bird away, but she stayed on the table. Remus shook his head and opened the letter from the Ministry. He quickly read through it, his eyes growing wide in the process.

"I got the job? I got the job! I'm the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. This is great," Remus smiled then opened Harry's letter. Just as he was going to read it, a woman named Sirena Walters appeared in the fire.

"Hey, Sirena," Remus greeted. She was the head of the department but was resigning to become a Healer.

"Hi, Remus. Come on down. I suppose you got the letter," Sirena smiled and Remus nodded. "Good. Come down and we'll sort everything out. See you in five," Sirena said and disappeared. Remus grabbed his traveling cloak and Flooed to the Ministry, Harry's letter lying forgotten on the kitchen table.

* * *

><p>"Why hasn't he answered?" Harry asked during breakfast.<p>

"Maybe he didn't get it for some reason," Ron suggested.

"What if Hedwig got intercepted?" Ginny stated and they looked worried.

"No, Hedwig probably brought the letter home but Remus wasn't there so she's waiting," Harry said even though they all knew he didn't mean it. "Okay, so it's highly unlikely. You got anything better?" Harry frowned and his friends shook their heads. "Gee, thanks for the help and support," he added sarcastically.

"What do you want us to say, Harry? We're not going to lie to you," Hermione stated and Harry mumbled something that sounded like 'I know.'

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Come on, we need to get to Herbology," Ron spoke and Harry nodded. The black-haired boy kissed his girlfriend's cheek then followed his friends to class.

* * *

><p>"Moony? Why are you here? Is something wrong?" Sirius said as Remus entered his office where he had been chatting with Kingsley and Tonks.<p>

"Nothing's wrong, Padfoot. I just finished talking with Sirena," Remus told him as he sat down.

"Sirena Walters? You mean the head of the magical creatures department? Why were you talking with her?" Tonks asked.

"Yeah, I just got hired as the new head of that department. She's resigning to become a Healer instead," Remus smiled.

"You're working at the Ministry now? That's great. I don't know if you'll be keeping the job long though," Kingsley stated, grinning.

"Why?" Remus frowned.

"Because that teenage boy of yours is going to kill you when he finds out," Kingsley said and laughed with them.

"I completely forgot about Harry. He—wait. I got a letter from him. I didn't read it though. Sirena called as soon as I was going to read it. Come on. It should still be on the table," Remus stated and they all Flooed to Grimmauld Place.

"That it?" Tonks pointed to the table where a letter lay unfolded on the surface.

"Yep." Remus picked up the letter, unfolded it, and read it aloud. "Remus. I just thought you would like to know that Ron, Hermione, and I started that Defence group I told you about. We called it Dumbledore's Army, or the DA, for short. Speaking of Dumbledore, he's gone. Umbridge like banished him from the castle or something. She's running Hogwarts now. It's horrible. Talk to you later. Harry," Remus looked up at the others.

"Umbridge kicked Dumbledore out of the school?" Kingsley stated.

"I didn't know anyone could do that," Tonks replied.

"I can only imagine what she's done to the place," Sirius said. Just then an owl came and landed on Kingsley's shoulder. He quickly read the letter then burnt it.

"Damn it. I think our Death Eater friends are getting aroused. There's just been a killing of a Muggle family down in Little Whinging. Wife, husband, one son. Dark Mark is over the house," Kingsley explained and Sirius sighed.

"Names? Last name at least?" Sirius asked.

"We've got a last name only, but I'm sure you can fill in the missing blanks," Kingsley stated.

"What's the name?" Sirius repeated.

"Dursley," Kingsley said and Remus and Sirius looked at him.

"Vernon and Petunia Dursley? As in Harry's aunt and uncle?" Remus frowned and Kingsley nodded.

"Let's go. I'll talk to you later, Moony," Sirius answered and walked to the fire. He and the others said the address and disappeared in a whirl of green flames.

* * *

><p>"Not much of a struggle. It happened fast. Almost as if they walked in, killed them, and left," Sirius sighed as they looked around in the house of number four, Privet Drive.<p>

"According to forensics or whoever they are, they all got tortured then killed. The kid had gone first, then the wife, then the husband. Either they were bored and decided to have fun, or Voldemort—yeah, I said it. Calm down—or Voldemort told them to," Kingsley said and rolled his eyes when Sirius smiled at him for actually saying Voldemort.

"Finally, you're not afraid of the big, bad name," Sirius teased. "Anyways, if they already killed once, they're going to keep going. I'm hoping to Merlin Harry didn't care too much about these people," Sirius stated and Kingsley nodded. "Anything?" the Head Auror asked as Tonks and Evans walked to them.

"Nothing. This was just a quick kill. No struggle, nothing," Tonks shook her head and her cousin sighed.

"All right. Everyone just needs to go home and rest, and then come to the Ministry tomorrow. You three are the only ones I have. Bones, Rogers, and Dawlish are off doing something. I don't know. See you all tomorrow," Sirius told his Aurors and they disappeared, Sirius soon following in suit.

* * *

><p>"How do you think Harry's going to take it?" Sirius asked Remus that night.<p>

"Well, we know he wasn't fond of them but I know he would never have wanted them to die. He might feel something, he might not," Remus shrugged.

"I don't understand why Voldemort would have them killed though. It's pointless," Sirius stated and Remus nodded.

"Who knows. He may have just wanted to stir the world up. He might be trying to make Harry mad," Remus replied.

"I guess we'll find out what Harry thinks about this tomorrow. I'm going to head off to bed. G'night, Remus," Sirius said and walked up to his bedroom.

"G'night," Remus also went to his room.

* * *

><p>The next day was Saturday. During breakfast Harry got a copy of the <em>Daily Prophet <em>along with a letter from his godfathers.

_Harry,__  
><em>_We decided to give you the paper today. There's a story on the front cover we think you should read. Call us if you need anything.__  
><em>_-Sirius and Remus_

"Odd," Harry frowned and opened the _Prophet_.

_Muggle Family Killed__  
><em>_Last night, a Muggle family was murdered. The first names have not been revealed yet, but the last name is known. The residents of number four, Privet Drive were the Dursleys. Husband, wife, and a son. They were killed by Death Eaters and the Dark Mark is floating above this house._

"They're dead?" Harry said quietly after reading the article.

"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione asked as she and Ron looked at their friends worried and sadly. Harry threw the paper down and ran out of the Hall, not bothering to grab his bag. Ron and Hermione helplessly watched their friend run from the Great Hall.

"He's going to the Astronomy Tower. Sirius' old office," Ron said after checking the Marauder's Map.

"Let's call Remus," Hermione stated. They grabbed their bags and Harry's and went to the common room. Hermione threw some Floo powder into the fire, said the address, and stuck her head in the flames.

_Hope Umbridge doesn't catch me__, _she thought."Remus? Remus!" Hermione called and Remus appeared out of the library.

"Hermione? What's going on?" Remus furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the female.

"Remus, would you be able to come to Hogwarts for a bit? We're having a problem," Hermione told him and the wizard looked concerned.

"What problem?" Remus asked quickly.

"Harry read the article about his aunt and uncle. He's locked himself in the Astronomy office. He won't come out," Hermione told him.

"He's pretty upset but it then?" Remus frowned. Hermione nodded. "I'll be right there."

About five minutes later, Remus arrived and he followed Ron and Hermione to the Astronomy Tower. "Can you call Sirius? Use the mirror. It might be in Harry's bag," Remus said and the teens nodded.

"Here it is," Ron pulled the mirror out of Harry's bag. As they called Sirius, Remus walked up to the office and knocked on the door.

"Harry? Harry, come on. Open the door," Remus said softly. "Come on, pup. I'm not leaving until you let me in," Remus added. After a few minutes, Remus heard the lock click and he walked into the room.

* * *

><p>Harry looked up when he heard the door open and close. Remus saw there were tears streaking the boy's face.<p>

"Harry?" Remus walked over and sat beside the teen.

"I know they weren't the greatest people but that doesn't mean I wanted Voldemort to murder them," Harry sniffed.

"I know. We never want someone to die no matter how much we hate them, and I mean besides Voldemort and the Death Eaters," Remus told him.

"But because of me, everyone I know suffers," Harry replied, more tears going down his cheeks.

"It's not because of you, it's a war. This is what happens. It's all Voldemort," Remus said and hugged Harry. There was a knock on the door and Sirius walked in.

"Hey. Sorry I was slow. Work is busy," Sirius stated. Remus let Sirius sit beside Harry while he leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"I want it to stop," Harry said quietly as Sirius hugged his godson.

"We know. If we could, we'd stop it," Sirius answered.

"It's not either of your guys' fault," Harry sighed.

"It's not your fault either!" Sirius lightly shook Harry's shoulders. "Why do you always think these things are your fault?"

"I don't know why I even care about this. I mean, they were horrible. What with the hitting, starvation, sexual abuse—" he stopped when his uncles stared at him.

"Back up. Sexual abuse?" Remus knelt down in front of the teenager.

"Uh—I—I—uh—umm—I—" Harry stuttered.

"What sexual abuse? Harry," Sirius looked at him.

"When I was at the Dursleys, I got sexually abused. I know I should have told you, but what was I supposed to say? When I was three my uncle and cousin sexually abused me, could you pass the milk?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You were three?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded.

"Oh, Harry. We wish you would have told us, but it doesn't matter. It's all right. Do you want to go to their funeral? It's tomorrow," Remus smiled at Harry who looked relieved they were changing the subject.

"I don't have to go, do I?" Harry asked and his godfathers shook their heads. "Good. Even though I hated them, I still kinda miss them," Harry looked to the floor. Don't worry. You'll be fine." Both wizards hugged Harry who started crying again.

"Hey, hey. So, what's the story on Umbridge and the defence group you started?" Sirius said and Harry smiled.

"Well, we started the DA last week and we've been lucky enough to have four meetings already. Umbridge got suspicious one night and she almost found us. She caught some of us leaving and brought us the Dumbledore's office. Fudge was there also. Dumbledore took the blame for the whole thing. Just as Umbridge and Fudge were going to arrest him, Fawkes came and Dumbledore disappeared after a flash of light. Now Umbridge is watching me, Ron, and Hermione very closely. We're still going though," Harry explained to them.

"Be careful. You could get expelled for doing this. When's your next meeting?" Remus replied.

"There's one tonight. One minute," Harry stood up and opened the door. He called for Ron and Hermione who followed him. "We have a list of everyone in the DA but we want to make it so that only the three of us can read it. We were wondering if you two could do to the list what you did to the map," Harry took a list from Hermione as he spoke. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other and grinned.

"We could do something," Sirius grinned and he took the list.

"Use the same passwords," Harry told them. For about twenty minutes, the trio watched as Remus and Sirius worked on the list.

"There. It'll do the same thing the map does if someone tries to read it that doesn't know the password," Sirius told them and they smiled.

"Thanks. We need to go do homework. Bye. See you later," Hermione took the list and she and Ron left.

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you later. We'll be careful," Harry said then left.

"I need to get back to the Ministry. See you, Moony," Sirius went to the fire and Flooed to the Ministry. Remus also went to the fire and Flooed home.

* * *

><p>"I know this has nothing to do with what we're doing, but has Bertha Jorkins been found yet?" Sirius asked.<p>

"Yeah, her body was found a few days ago. She was murdered. Voldemort," Tonks nodded and told her boss.

"Perfect," Sirius sighed.

"Mr. Black!" Sirius turned to see Auror Derek Hill running to him. "There's been another murder. Wizard family. Wife, husband, two girls, one boy, and a six month old baby girl," Hill told him.

"Death Eaters," Sirius muttered.

"No. It wasn't Death Eaters. It seems You-Know-Who is gathering an army. He's getting the werewolves on his side. Werewolves killed the family," Hill answered.

"Great. Now we have to deal with werewolves too? Didn't that just make everything so much easier? Thanks, Hill," Sirius told the Auror. "Let's go check it out," Sirius said and they all went to the house.

* * *

><p>Sirius pulled out his wand and led the Aurors to the house.<p>

"Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks., you look around in the attic and the second floor. Rogers, Evans, Taylor, and Miller, check out the basement. Sanders and Woods, come with me," Sirius ordered and they split up. Sirius led Damian Sanders and Tanner Woods into the living room to see a woman lying on the floor. Her face had deep cuts on it, her throat had been torn out, and her chest had been cut open by claws," Sirius turned away from the body.

"Any identification?" Sirius asked.

"Parents are Miranda and Josh Sanchez. Oldest is sixteen year old Charity, thirteen year old Nathan, nine year old Daphne, and the baby is Cara. The kids attended a different school. Not sure which," Zack Taylor told him when he walked to his boss.

"All of them were killed the same way. Chests ripped open and their throats torn out. If I remember correctly, this is how the werewolf Fenrir Greyback kills his victims," Tonks replied.

"He's not dead yet? I thought he got killed by the magical creatures department?" Sirius frowned. Tonks shook her head. "So, now we have to hunt for Greyback," Sirius added.

"So the Dursleys have been killed and so have the Sanchezes," Kingsley stated.

"Things keep getting better by the day, don't they?" Sirius said sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"As you all know, we have to be even more careful. Anyways, let's get started. Last time, we were working on stunning. Many of you have it, while others still need to work on it. We'll work on those and if there's time, we'll start Shielding Spells. Everyone, pair up," Harry told the group of students. They all paired up and began to practice. Shouts of '<em>Stupefy<em>' could be heard from all the students.

"Wonderful. You're all doing great. Hey, Michael, you might hit Neville if you keep your eyes open," Harry instructed. "Cho, keep your arm straighter. That's it. Ron, stop trying to show off for Hermione," Harry patted Ron on the back and everyone laughed as he went red.

"Harry, over here. I hit Fred but I forget how to revive him," George told Harry who smiled. He knelt over Fred and pointed his wand at Fred's chest.

"_Rennervate_. There we go. Good job," Harry revived the unconscious twin then began walking around again, helping the students having trouble. Harry instructed and watched the group for another twenty minutes then he stopped them.

"Why did you stop us?" Michael frowned and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Because for the last ten minutes we are going to practice Shielding Spells. I know many of you already know the spell. To cast this charm, just say _Protego_. Now, stay in the same pairs. One of you will send a spell and the other will try and block it. Go," Harry told the group and they went to work. After about five minutes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione heard a very loud banging on the door.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," Harry shrugged.

"Come on. I know you're in there. Come out now." Everyone stopped when they heard Umbridge's voice. Just then there was a huge explosion, making everyone fall back. The room got filled with dust, making it hard to see.

"Let's go! Run!" Harry yelled and they all ran past Umbridge who was also with Filch, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. "Everyone split up! Go!" Harry told the group and they all went in different directions.

"Don't lose them!" they heard Umbridge call. Harry quickly looked back and saw Malfoy running after them.

"Hurry! To the common room! The Slytherins and Filch can't get in there! Go, go, go!" Harry told Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville.

"But Umbridge can get in there," Ginny said.

"But Umbridge didn't see who was there exactly. So even if she catches us or the others, she doesn't know if we were there or not. Let's go," Harry answered. They nodded and ran to Gryffindor Tower. Hermione quickly said the password and they all ran into the common room.

"I'm going to be. Good night. Great lesson, Harry," Neville told the others and went to the boys' dorms.

"I'm gonna go to bed too. G'night," Ginny kissed Harry's cheek and went up to the girls' dorms.

"Let's sit. I'm really tired not. That was a lot of running," Ron sighed and they all sat by the fire.

"That was close," Hermione stated.

"She blew up the wall. At least Filch will fix it," Ron replied and they nodded. Then the portrait door opened.

"Hey. We're going up to bed. Umbridge is right behind us. See you," George said as he, Fred, and Lee Jordan ran through the common room. The trio nodded and began to talk about some of their homework while getting it out. Then the door opened again and Umbridge walked in.

"I got you. I know you were there with all the others," Umbridge pointed at the trio.

"But we've been here all evening, Professor. Homework," Hermione said as she held up her Arithmancy book.

"You were there. Mr. Malfoy was following you. You were running from the scene just like all the others," Umbridge eyed them. They didn't answer. "Come on," she took out her wand and pointed it at the trio, leading them out of the common room.

"Now what?" Ron muttered as they walked.

"Oh, and I caught a few of your friends," Umbridge said as she opened the door to the office. When they walked in, the trio saw Goyle holding Luna Lovegood, Crabbe was holding Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnegan, and Malfoy was holding Cho Chang and Dean Thomas.

"Now, I believe when you're doing is illegal. As it is, it is only right I expel all of you," Umbridge stated and the students gaped at her.

"What? No!" Harry shouted. Just as Umbridge was going to speak, Snape walked into the office.

"Professor, I—what's going on here?" Snape asked when he saw the students.

"They have been doing an illegal defence group. I'm sorry to say that I'm expelling these eight students," Umbridge told Snape who frowned.

"If I remember correctly, Professor, that group was formed by Albus and ended after he disappeared. These students were probably meeting and having fun. There is no reason to expel them," Snape told her and the kids smiled.

"But—but—" the woman stuttered.

"All of you should get to bed. See you all tomorrow," Snape waved them all off to bed. As Harry walked by, he mouthed the words 'thank you' to Snape who nodded.

"Come on, guys. Let's get to bed," Ron said to all the Gryffindors who agreed.

"We're still having the meetings, right?" Seamus asked before they all went to their dorms.

"Yes, we're still having them," Harry nodded and they all smiled then went to bed.

"G'night, Ron, Hermione."

"Night."

"Night."


	13. Chapter 13

It was a bit later and it was May. A lot had happened in the previous weeks. Umbridge had believed that Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew where Dumbledore was. Hermione had tricked her by saying there was a secret passageway deep in the Forbidden Forest. So Hermione, along with Harry and Ron, lead Umbridge into the forest where the centaurs carried her off, allowing Dumbledore to finally come back. When Umbridge disappeared, they got a new Defence professor. Alastor Moody had volunteered to teach even though the Ministry was busy, but Sirius let him.

There also had been a few more murders by both Death Eaters and werewolves. Sirius and Remus were both very busy at work (they had already told Harry Remus worked at the Ministry). Sirius was busy with the Aurors and Death Eaters and Voldemort, while Remus was busy with the werewolves.

Harry was also still having the DA meetings, not worrying since Dumbledore was back. Everyone at school, especially the fifth and seventh years, were stressing out because the OWLs and NEWTs were only a few weeks away.

* * *

><p>"Why aren't you two studying? OWLs are only three weeks away," Hermione said to Ron and Harry during lunch.<p>

"Hermione, we have lots of time. We'll study, we always do," Harry told her and Ron nodded. Hermione scowled as she went back to her salad and Charms book.

"You're acting like this is something new," Ron stated. Hermione glared at them, gathered up her things, and stalked out of the Hall. "Exams mess with her mind," Ron raised an eyebrow.

"She'll calm down eventually," Harry replied.

"So how are Remus and Sirius doing?" Ron asked.

"They're both stressed as hell. Sirius is busy dealing with the Death Eaters, Voldemort, and the weekly deaths. Remus is busy trying to hunt down Greyback and the werewolves who are now beginning to join Voldemort. It's ridiculous really," Harry sighed as he told Ron how busy the Ministry was.

"Must be horrible. I'm glad Dad isn't in Sirius' department, no offence," Ron stated.

"None taken. I just hope nothing happens to them. Remus said he might be getting sent on an assignment by Dumbledore for the Order," Harry answered.

"Come on. We should get to class," Ron said and the two boys walked down to Hagrid's hut for Care of Magical Creatures.

* * *

><p>"Hermione, why don't you take a break? You've been studying non-stop for the past week. You only stop for classes and to sleep," Harry said to Hermione during dinner.<p>

"Yeah, come on. We'll walk around outside. Maybe visit Hagrid," Ron added. Hermione stayed silent as she looked at them for a bit.

"All right. I'll stop, but when I start again, you two have to study as well. Deal?" Hermione nodded.

"Deal," the boys smiled. So Hermione put her books away and began chatting with her friends.

"Let's go outside and visit Hagrid," Ron said and they made their way outside to Hagrid's hut.

* * *

><p>"You know that wasn't my fault. I was hungry. I didn't know you were going to come after me without the Invisibility Cloak," Ron replied as they walked out of the castle and across the grounds to Hagrid's hut.<p>

"If you hadn't gotten up to sneak to the kitchens, we wouldn't have had to come after you. It was completely your fault," Hermione retorted.

"Well, excuse me fo—" Harry stopped him just before they got to Hagrid's house.

"Sshhh. Do you guys hear that?" he asked as the trio stopped walking.

"What?" Ron whispered.

"Listen," Harry stated. They listened hard then heard rustling trees and soft, quiet voices.

"What if I get caught?" a voice squeaked.

"Pettigrew," the trio said quietly.

"Turn into a rat, you idiot. Get in there!" they heard Lucius state angrily.

"All you have to do is turn his Potions book into a Portkey that will bring him to the Department of Mysteries. Now go!" Bellatrix replied. The three Gryffindors looked at each other then looked to the forest as they saw a couple silhouettes.

"Harry, look," Hermione pointed to the ground where a rat was running. It stopped in front of the trio, squeaked, and ran quickly to the castle.

"It's Pettigrew! Come on!" Harry started to run but stopped when Lucius and Bellatrix stood in front of them.

"Going somewhere?" Lucius sneered and the trio glared at them.

"Pettigrew's just doing something for us. He'll be back in a bit," Bellatrix added.

"So Voldemort finally let you out of the house, did he, Lucius?" Harry smirked. Bellatrix and Lucius pulled out their wands and so did the trio.

"_Crucio_!" Bellatrix cried but missed.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Ron shouted.

"_Stupefy_!" Lucius yelled.

"_Impedimenta_!" Hermione shouted.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Bellatrix screamed.

"_Reducto_!" Harry yelled.

"_Sectumsempra_!" Lucius cried.

"Lucius, he's back. Let's go," Bellatrix told the other Death Eater.

"Good. See you very soon, Potter," Lucius sneered then ran into the forest with Bellatrix, a rat following them.

"What does that mean?" Harry frowned.

"Harry! What are you doing out here?" they turned as they heard Remus speak.

"Uh oh," Harry muttered.

"Harry, why are you three out after hours? You promised no more late-night wanderings," Remus looked at the teens.

"I know. We came out to visit Hagrid, but then the whole Death Eater thing happened," Harry told his guardian. "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy at the Ministry with Sirius?"

"I had to come and talk to Dumbledore about something and then I was going to come and see you for a bit but when I saw the Tower was empty, I searched everywhere. I ran into Seamus and asked him if he knew where you were and he said he thought he saw the three of you heading outside. So I came outside," Remus explained.

"Oh," Harry and his friends said together simply.

"Come on. You need to get to bed," Remus led the Gryffindors to the castle and up to Gryffindor Tower. "Go to bed," he said to them. Ron and Hermione went to their dorms and Remus followed Harry to the boys' dorms.

"How's Sirius? I haven't heard from him in like three weeks," Harry asked as he changed and crawled into bed.

"Stressed and tired. I keep telling him to take some time off but he won't," Remus replied. "He hardly comes home. He sleeps in his office all the time now," he added.

"I want to see Sirius. I haven't seen him in forever," Harry sighed.

"I know. You'll see him soon, or at least get a letter. Now go to sleep and no more wandering. See you later," Remus answered, kissed Harry's forehead, then left.

"I promise. See you," Harry nodded and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey, boss. You look horrible," Kingsley stated as he stood in Sirius' doorway.<p>

"Thanks," Sirius said sarcastically.

"I agree with Remus. You need to take some time off," Kingsley remarked.

"No, I don't. I'm fine," Sirius shook his head.

"Sirius, you've been working non-stop for almost a month and a half. You don't go home anymore and you haven't written to Harry in three weeks," the second-in-command replied and Sirius looked at him. "Yeah, I'm keeping count. Come on, Sirius. Take a couple weeks off. I'll take over. You go home, get a decent night's sleep, be with Remus, and start communicating with that kid of yours again. I'll also call Molly and get her to cook for you," Kingsley said and Sirius stared at him.

"Fine. I'll take a couple weeks off. You're in charge," Sirius finally agreed and Kingsley smiled.

"I know, now go home and get eight hours of sleep," Kingsley told his boss who made his way to the fireplace to Floo home.

* * *

><p>"Ow!" Sirius cried, making Mrs. Black shriek. "Shut up!" he ran over and tried to close the curtains.<p>

"Why the hell are you awake? Argh!" Remus shouted as he ran to the portrait. "Oh, hey, Sirius."

"Hi. Sorry 'bout that. Kinda fell out of the fire. Kingsley told me to come home. I'm taking a couple weeks off and he's taking over," Sirius told Remus.

"Good. You need a break. Sine you're here, you can start talking with our teenager. He misses you," Remus replied.

"I know. Kingsley said the same thing," Sirius nodded.

"It's late. We'll talk more tomorrow. G'night, Padfoot," Remus went back upstairs.

"Night, Moony. I'm just going to send a letter to Harry wince Hedwig's here," Sirius answered as he sat at the kitchen table.

_Hey Harry,  
><em>_Sorry I haven't talked to you in so long. I'm taking a couple weeks off work. I'll see if I can drop in and see you. If I do, it'll be over the weekend. Talk to you soon, kiddo.__  
><em>_-Sirius_

He put the letter in an envelope and sent it off with Hedwig. He yawned then made his way to his room.

* * *

><p>"How did you sleep?" Remus asked as Sirius walked down the stairs at noon.<p>

"Amazing. I'm going to enjoy these couple weeks off," Sirius smiled.

"Molly will be here at one and she'll be cooking. Arthur and Bill are coming as well," Remus told him as he gave Sirius coffee.

"Good. I need a decent meal as well," Sirius said, drinking the coffee.

"You'll be getting a feast, not a meal. It's Molly. Did you send Harry a letter?" Remus stated.

"Yeah, last night. He should have gotten it at breakfast. I'm going to try get over there on the weekend," Sirius nodded.

"He better be studying. OWLs start in only a few weeks," Remus replied and Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Only Hermione will be studying at this time," Sirius remarked.

"Harry better study," Remus said simply. Sirius rolled his eyes and shook his head.

* * *

><p>"All right. I'm going to start studying again and you two have to as well. We had a deal," Hermione told Harry and Ron as they walked to Herbology.<p>

"We will. Don't worry, we remember the deal," Harry and Ron told her and she smiled.

"Brilliant," she smiled and lead the boys the rest of the way to Herbology. They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes.

"I wish the professors would stop telling us the same thing at the beginning of each class. They talk for like ten minutes about how important OWLs are and how we all need to try. It's annoying," Ron complained as Professor Sprout began telling the class about the importance of their OWLs. After ten minutes, the lesson finally started and the students were put to work. Around twenty minutes later, the bell rang and it was time for History of Magic.

"Professor Binns is going to make the speech even more boring. I'm going to fall asleep before he even starts talking," Ron whined some more. Harry and Hermione inwardly groaned and rolled their eyes as they walked to Professor Binns' classroom. "So how is Sirius doing, mate?" Ron asked as the trio sat down.

"Kingsley finally got him to take some time off. He's taking a couple weeks off and he might visit on the weekend," Harry replied.

"Finally. From what you've said, he hardly went home," Hermione remarked.

"Yeah, I hope he comes. Now that he's home, he might help Remus out with the Greyback case," Harry nodded.

"How is—" Hermione started but stopped when Professor Binns began speaking.

* * *

><p>"Hey, need help?" Sirius asked as he walked into the kitchen to find Remus leaning over papers.<p>

"What? Oh, sure," Remus nodded and Sirius sat across from him.

"Moony, one question. Do you have any idea what you're doing right now?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, no. I'm just staring at all these papers," Remus sighed and Sirius grinned.

"That helps a lot. What do you know right now?" Sirius said, picking up some papers .

"Greyback and his pack haven't attacked since that family about a month and a half ago. He was spotted in a bar in Malibu about a month ago. Hasn't been seen since," Remus told him.

"When's the next full moon?" Sirius asked as he looked at some paper.

"Tomorrow. Why?" Remus answered.

"Look at this," Sirius started, letting Remus see the paper. "Greyback only attacks every other month. He's attacking tomorrow," Sirius said and Remus nodded.

"So, we know when he's attacking, all we need to know now, is where," Remus sighed.

"That I can't figure out," Sirius laughed.

"At least we know why he disappears for a month," Remus shrugged.

"Yeah, 'cause that'll help," Sirius said sarcastically. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Was that really necessary, Padfoot?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Free shot," Sirius shrugged. Remus shook his head.

* * *

><p>"This is useless. I'll never remember anything for Potions," Ron groaned, throwing his Potions book down. The trio had been in the common room studying for two hours. Hermione was busy with Arithmancy, Harry with Transfiguration, and Ron with Potions.<p>

"Are you even reading, Ron?" Hermione asked, looking from her Arithmancy book.

"Amazingly, yes I am, but I can't remember anything I read," Ron nodded.

"But are you trying?" Hermione asked again.

"Once again, amazingly, yes I am. I just can't remember anything though," Ron answered.

"There's still three weeks. You'll get it," Hermione smiled and went back to her book.

"I'm gonna head off to bed. It's late. Night, guys," Harry closed his book when he saw it was eleven. He gathered his things and went up to the boys' dorms.

* * *

><p>The next day, Harry sat at Gryffindor table with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny for breakfast.<p>

"Transfiguration the History of Magic, then we've got Charms and Potions after lunch," Hermione told Ron and Harry.

"Great," Ron said dully. They ate for another twenty minutes, then left for Transfiguration. For about ten minutes, McGonagall talked about the OWLs and the importance of them. After, they started working then the bell rang and they went to History of Magic.

"Well, that was boring as hell," Harry sighed as they sat down to lunch.

"You're telling me," Ron agreed.

"Do you guys even listen when the professors talk about OWLs?" Hermione wondered.

"No, because they all say the exact same thing," Ron shook his head. Hermione scowled and began eating a salad.

"Hey, Gin. What's up?" Harry kissed Ginny's cheek as she sat beside him.

"Not much. Just came from class with Hagrid. You?" Ginny replied.

"Annoyed. All the professors are talking about OWLs. They start in three weeks," Harry responded.

"Must be horrible," Ginny giggled and the others nodded. They chatted for fifteen minutes before the bell rang and they had to go to class.

"What are we doing in Charms today?" Harry wondered.

"Dunno. We finished Cheering Charms last week," Hermione answered. They walked into the class and took their regular seats at the back of the class. Like every other class, the students listened for ten minutes as Professor Flitwick explained the OWLs. When they finally got to work, no one was paying attention to what they were doing, like every other class. When Charms was over, it was time for Potions and the students made their way down to the dungeons.

"Uh oh," Harry muttered as he stopped walking.

"What's up, mate?" Ron asked as he and Hermione watched Harry search his bag for something.

"I think I left my Potions book back in the common room. I'll go get it and meet you in class," Harry said and ran towards Gryffindor Tower. He ran into the common room, looked around then went up to the boys' dorms.

"Where is it?" he said to himself as he searched his trunk. He closed it, stood up, and looked around. "There it is," he said as he saw it lying on his end table. Harry walked over and grabbed the book. Just then, he felt a jerk and was lifted off the ground. He began spinning then he feet crashed back down to earth. Not expecting it, Harry stumbled, fell, and hit his head on the concrete floor, knocking him out.

* * *

><p>"Where's Harry?" Snape asked Ron and Hermione during class.<p>

"Dunno. He forgot his Potions book in the common room. He went to get it and was supposed to meet us here," Ron replied and Snape frowned.

"It's not like him to skip class," Snape said and the teens agreed. "I'll talk to Dumbledore after class," Snape told them and the students nodded. Class went on for another fifteen minutes then the bell rang, signaling it was time for dinner.

"Sir, I was hoping to talk to you," Snape began speaking to Dumbledore during dinner.

"What about?" the headmaster smiled.

"About Harry. He didn't come to class. Hermione and Ron said he went to get his Potions book from the common room. He was supposed to meet them in the class nut he never arrived," Snape told the aging man.

"Odd. After the meal, I will go and see if I can figure out what happened," Dumbledore said to Snape who nodded. After dinner, Dumbledore walked up to Gryffindor Tower with Ron, Hermione, and Snape. They went to the boys' dorms where they saw Harry's bag lying on the floor with his closed trunk. Dumbledore took out his wand and waved it, muttering something Latin.

"He's gone. His Potions book was a Portkey. I don't know where it took him, but he's gone," Dumbledore told the others.

"He's been kidnapped?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I don't want to be the one to tell Remus and Sirius," Ron stated.

"You don't have to, Mr. Weasley. I have someone in mind," Dumbledore turned to Snape.

"Me? You want me to tell Sirius and Remus that their teenage nephew has been kidnapped, and most likely by Death Eaters? Well, won't I be getting cursed into the next century," Snape raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Dumbledore nodded again, his eyes twinkling like always. "All right. I'll tell them. This is probably that last time you'll see me. See you later," Snape said then made his way to the village to Apparate.

* * *

><p>"Padfoot! Get the door!" Remus called from upstairs to Sirius when the doorbell rang. A couple days ago, Remus and Sirius finally got the portrait of Sirius' mother down.<p>

"Fine," Sirius got up from the couch and opened the door. "Hey, Severus. What's up?" Sirius smiled as he let Snape in.

"Where's Remus?" the Potions master asked.

"Upstairs, why? What's going on?" Sirius stated, frowning.

"Get him down here," Snape told him.

"Remus! Moony, come down here! It's Severus!" Sirius called for his friend. A few seconds later, Remus came down the stairs.

"What? I'm busy," Remus sighed.

"Where did your mother's portrait go?" Snape asked when he saw it wasn't there anymore.

"We, or Sirius, used the Reductor Curse the other day and got rid of it. We fixed the wall yesterday. Is that why you're here?" Remus answered.

"No, I have to tell you something," Snape replied.

"What?" Sirius looked at him.

"Harry's gone. Kidnapped. His Potions book was a Portkey and he's gone," Snape told them and their eyes grew wide.

**A/N: Yes, Snape is quite OOC in this story right now but it's not for long and this was one of my first stories so I was very good at characterization yet. He goes back to his usual self eventually. :]**


	14. Chapter 14

Harry groaned as he slowly sat up. He looked around and winced in pain as he rubbed his head.

_Where am I? Damn, that hurt__, _Harry thought to himself. He held onto the wall as he slowly stood up.

"Hello, Harry," a voice said and Harry pulled out his wand.

"Who's there?" Harry asked shakily.

"Harry, Harry, Harry," the voice said again. Harry looked around then stopped when he saw three people step out of the shadows.

"Lucius, Bellatrix, and Pettigrew. I should have known. What do you want?" Harry glared at the Death Eaters.

"We only want you. _Expelliarmus_!" Lucius pointed his wand at Harry. The spell hit and Harry's wand flew into the hands of Bellatrix.

"_Incarcerous_!" Bellatrix said and ropes bound Harry's arms behind his back.

"Let me go!" Harry yelled, struggling to get free. He fell to his knees and looked up as Lucius and Bellatrix walked over to him.

"Why would we do that when we need you? You'll be staying here. See you in a bit," Lucius smirked and gagged Harry. The teen tried to yell but couldn't. The three older wizards turned and walked away. Harry sighed and leaned against the wall.

_Perfect. Now what do I do__? _Harry thought as he looked around the chamber.

* * *

><p>"He's what? Harry's gone?" Sirius shouted.<p>

"Sirius, please. Yes, Harry has been kidnapped. Most likely by Death Eaters. Where he is, I do not know," Dumbledore said. Dumbledore, Snape, Sirius, Remus, Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill were all gathered in the living room on Grimmauld Place.

"So, if we don't know where he is, how do we find him?" Tonks asked from her spot on the couch.

"We'll figure it out. I'm not sure right now, but we'll get it," the headmaster replied.

"How did his Potions book get turned into a Portkey though? It was in the Tower," Remus wondered.

"I believe, the night Harry, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger was going to visit Hagrid and met up with Bellatrix and Lucius, Peter Pettigrew had slipped into the castle in his rat form. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were going to go after Peter, but Lucius and Bellatrix stopped them, giving Peter time to do the change. When Peter returned, they all disappeared," Dumbledore explained.

"Why do they want Harry? You-Know-Who got destroyed by Harry in year two," Mrs. Weasley asked.

"To resurrect Voldemort. Harry did not completely destroy Voldemort, only a part of him. There are still many, many ways he can return," the headmaster answered gravely.

"Well, doesn't that just lighten the mood?" Kingsley said sarcastically and everyone stared at him. He put his hands up in defence.

"What do we do first to try and find Harry?" Bill stated.

"I will be doing things on my own for a bit, Severus, I need you to go find the Death Eaters. Maybe they'll let you see Harry. Kingsley, Tonks, and Arthur, you can just go back to the Ministry. Molly, you can go back home with Bill. Alastor, continue teaching at Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius, all I need you to do is stay here. Don't do anything irrational," Dumbledore told each of them.

"Wait, you want us to just sit here and wait until the news of Harry being dead gets here?" Sirius stood up.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but I need you to stay here. I know you want to find Harry, but that's exactly what Voldemort wants," Dumbledore nodded. Sirius glared at him and walked up the stairs, slamming a door moments later.

"Sorry, sir. He just wants Harry back, as do I," Remus apologized.

"It's all right. We all should get going. We'll talk soon," the headmaster smiled then left with all the others. When they were gone, Remus walked up the stairs to try and find Sirius.

"Sirius?" he said as he opened the door to Harry's bedroom. "Sirius. You all right?" Remus leaned against the wall as he watched Sirius hold Harry's stuffed stag.

"How am I supposed to sit here and do nothing while Harry's most likely getting tortured?" Sirius said, looking at his friend.

"You don't know that he's getting tortured," Remus sat on the bed.

"They're Death Eaters, Moony. It's Voldemort. It's the only thing they're good at besides killing for no apparent reason," Sirius told him.

_He's got a point__, _a voice in his head that sounded like Harry said.

_Not helping__,_ Remus thought.

"We'll get him back. Dumbledore knows what he's doing and maybe Severus will learn where they're keeping Harry," Remus answered.

"Dumbledore doesn't even know where Harry is, and I'm not waiting for Severus to learn where he is!" Sirius shouted.

"Well, we can't just go search for him ourselves," Remus replied.

"The hell we can't! I don't care what Dumbledore says, I'm finding my godson and I know you're going to help," Sirius stared at his friend.

"Sirius, we can't. Even if we could, where would we start?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is getting our nephew back," Sirius remarked.

"We can't. We need to do what Dumbledore says. He does these things for a reason," Remus told him.

"I'll wait for four days. If nothing happens, I'm starting my own thing," Sirius answered and Remus smiled.

"I can deal with that," Remus smiled.

* * *

><p>Harry groaned and raised himself onto his knees, glaring up at Lucius and Bellatrix. For almost an hour, the Death Eaters had been torturing Harry with the Cruciatus Curse and cutting curses. They had moved him into a different room.<p>

"Shouldn't you be leaving the torturing to your master?" Harry breathed deeply and very fast.

"We are," Bellatrix smiled.

"What do you want?" Harry asked, still breathing ragged breaths.

"In exactly five and a half hours, you can ask the Dark Lord yourself," Bellatrix smirked.

"What are you—" he got cut off as Lucius hit him in the chest and back with a cutting hex.

"I guess that's good for now. The Dark Lord can take over tonight," Lucius said to Bellatrix who nodded. He walked over to Harry, who was looking at the floor, breathing hard. He grabbed the teen's hair and pulled him up. "Walk," he growled and Harry began walking. A couple minutes after, they were back in the original room and Harry got pushed roughly to the floor.

"See you in a little bit, Potter," Bellatrix sneered. They were going to put the gag back in but decided not to and walked away. Harry, on his knees and bent over, looking at the floor, let a couple tears fall that he had been holding back.

* * *

><p>Snape arrived at the old Riddle House after being summoned by Voldemort. He hoped he would get to see Harry, or at least learn where the boy was being kept. He walked into the house and up a flight of stairs to the drawing room. He walked in and saw Pettigrew, Nott, Avery, Bellatrix, Lucius, Crabbe, Goyle, and Summer.<p>

"Welcome, my fellow Death Eaters. Tonight is the night I will finally be reborn. It will be happening here. The boy will be brought by Lucius and Bellatrix. Snape, you will be brewing the potion. I will summon the rest of you when it is time," Voldemort hissed from his chair. The Death Eaters confirmed this then went to do what they were ordered.

* * *

><p>"How's he doing?" Tonks asked Remus as they watched Sirius drink his third bottle of Firewhiskey.<p>

"That's his third bottle and he's almost done it. It's horrible. He's waiting for four days before he sets out to find Harry on his own," Remus sighed. He looked to the table sadly and the witch caught his expression.

"We'll get him back," Tonks put a comforting hand on Remus' and he smiled at her.

"I know, I just wish he already was back," Remus' eyes glistened with tears.

"I know. I do too. We'll get him. Kingsley is doing a mini search of his own," Tonks nodded.

"Don't tell Sirius. He'll flip," Remus replied. Just then, an owl landed in front of Remus. He took the letter off and read it.

_Lupin and Black,__  
><em>_I just wanted you to know that your precious Potter is alive. In a few hours, he will prove to be very helpful in our project.__  
><em>_-Lucius_

"The resurrection of Voldemort. They're going to use Harry's blood," Remus revealed after burning the letter.

"Exciting," Tonks said sarcastically.

"In a few hours, Voldemort will be back," Remus sighed.

"What was in that letter, Moony?" Sirius asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Sirius, the letter came from Lucius Malfoy. Harry's alive, but they're using him to resurrect Voldemort tonight," Remus answered.

"Why would they keep him alive?" Tonks frowned.

"Because they need his blood to resurrect Voldemort," Remus told her.

"Where?" Sirius wondered.

"Don't know," Remus shrugged. Sirius sighed.

"Has Snape come back yet?" Sirius stated.

"Not yet," Tonks shook her head. Sirius sat at the table and accepted the butterbeer Remus was offering him.

* * *

><p>Harry groaned softly as he slightly moved around, trying to get comfortable and to relieve the aching pain in his arms, which were still secured firmly behind his back. He closed his eyes to try and get some sleep but then opened them again when he heard the lock click. He raised his head a bit and looked at the door. The large door opened and two, tall cloaked figures walked in, and headed straight for him.<p>

Harry flinched when one of the Death Eaters grabbed his arms while the other took hold of his hair as they forced him to stand. The figure holding his hair let go and pulled out a book. The Death Eaters touched it while still gripping Harry. They began spinning then their feet crashed to the ground, Harry collapsing from the impact.

"Get up, boy," one of his captors growled and they pulled him up. Harry opened his eyes and looked up at a house looming before them. "Walk," the same person whispered coldly. The practically dragged him into the house and up a couple flights of stairs, then pushed him into a room. Harry looked around quickly and saw a cauldron, a chair, and Pettigrew standing in a corner holding a bundle of blankets.

"Harry Potter. We meet again," a cold voice hissed and Harry yelled out in pain as searing pain went through his scar. He almost fell to the floor but the Death Eaters held him up. The pushed him over to the chair and tied the teen to it. He squirmed and struggled to get his arms free. He stopped and watched as a few more Death Eaters entered the room.

"Welcome to my rebirth. Our own Mr. Harry Potter has joined us this evening. Severus, please begin," Voldemort said from the blankets. Harry's eyes grew wide as a Death Eater stepped forward and a fire illuminated around the cauldron. The Death Eater removed his mask, revealing the face of Severus Snape. Pettigrew put the blankets in an armchair and pulled out his wand. He levitated a bone and put it in the cauldron. Then he took out a knife and held his hand over the cauldron. Harry shut his eyes as Pettigrew cut off his hand then handed the knife to Snape, who walked over to Harry. He knelt down in front of the teen so they were eye level.

"Are you all right?" he whispered and Harry nodded. "I have to cut you. I'm sorry," Harry nodded again and gasped in pain as Snape used the knife to cut Harry's arm. He got Harry's blood on the knife and dripped it into the boiling liquid. Harry glanced at his arm which had blood slowly trickling down it. The cauldron began bubbling and Harry furrowed his eyebrows.

"Now. Do it now, Wormtail," Voldemort said and Pettigrew threw the thing in the blankets into the cauldron. The potion turned colours, bubbled, and then exploded, shards of the cauldron hitting Harry in the face. After a few seconds, the smoke cleared and there was a man standing in the middle of the room. He had slits for nostrils like a snake and his red eyes were cold and heartless.

"Summer, my wand," Voldemort turned to a Death Eater. Harry's head snapped up as he watched Summer hand Voldemort his wand, and glared at her. Voldemort breathed a heavy sigh and looked around at all the Death Eaters, who bowed. "Finally I have been reborn. I see all of my fellow Death Eaters are here except McNair. Where is he?" Voldemort stated.

"McNair is in Azkaban, my Lord. Black and his cousin, the Metamorphmagus, captured him," Snape told his master.

"Shame. Maybe we should teach them a lesson about taking my Death Eaters," Voldemort said and all the Death Eaters smirked.

"Leave them alone!" Harry shouted, ignoring the searing pain of his scar as Voldemort turned on him.

"Why, Harry. I almost forgot you were here. I do hope you're enjoying yourself," Voldemort walked over to him.

"I'm ecstatic," Harry answered. Voldemort looked at a couple of the Death Eaters and nodded. They walked up to Harry. One took hold of his hair, forcing his head up while the other kicked Harry in the face very hard. He groaned as the Death Eater holding his hair let him go. He fell to the floor, gasping in pain.

"My, how you've grown since our last get-together," Voldemort stated like he and Harry were old friends. Harry didn't answer; he just stared into the eyes of the man who destroyed his life. Voldemort bent down so he was facing Harry straight on. He smirked slightly. "You look so much like your parents, but those good looks will be wasted when I'm done with you."

"Go to hell," Harry replied softly, glaring at Voldemort. As soon as the words left his lips, another Death Eater kicked him in the face again, making him fall sideways. Harry opened his eyes a bit and saw it was Snape who had kicked him. He got pulled back up onto his knees and glared up at Snape. He sent an apologetic look at Harry but he missed it as he looked back to the ground.

"Don't bother fighting, Harry. You know you won't and can't win."

"You never tell me what I know, why now?" Harry bit his lip, waiting for the next kick to come, but it didn't.

"Still cheeky, are we? That will change."

"What do you want?" Harry said quietly.

"I thought it was obvious," Voldemort stated simply.

"If it was so bloody obvious, would I have asked?" Harry said forcefully, earning him another kick in the face from Snape.

"You will be giving me information no matter how long it takes," Voldemort said as he sat in the armchair. Harry looked up and his stomach flipped when lightning flashed through the sky and thunder sounded out.

"Get comfortable then because I'm not talking," Harry told him.

"Maybe a few minutes alone with Severus and Lucius," Voldemort answered and stood. "I'll be back in a few minutes," Voldemort walked out of the room with all the other Death Eaters. When the door shut, Lucius walked over to Snape and Harry. He kicked Harry hard and Harry felt something crack painfully. He yelled out in pain and fell onto his back.

"Cut the ropes," Snape told Lucius who pulled out his wand and performed a severing charm on Harry's bonds. Harry sighed in obvious relief as he brought his hands in front. He slowly pushed himself up with his left arm while clutching his stomach with his right.

"Are you going to cooperate?" Lucius asked and Harry glared at the Death Eaters.

"No."

"_Crucio_!" Lucius shouted and Harry writhed in agony, eventually letting out his scream. When the curse was lifted, Harry rolled onto his back, his breathing coming in ragged breaths.

"Lucius, let me," Snape told the other man who shrugged and automatically left the room. "Harry. Harry, are you okay?" Snape said softly as he knelt beside the teen.

"Since I couldn't thank you before, I'll thank you now for the pleasant blows to my head. Let's call them early birthday gifts," Harry replied sarcastically as he struggled to sit up.

"I'm really sorry about that. Are you okay?" Snape repeated.

"I'm perfect. You?" Harry said, still using sarcasm.

"Harry, now isn't the time to be cheeky. Leave that to home and school," Snape told him and Harry shrugged, wincing in pain. "Harry, where have Lucius and Bellatrix been keeping you?" Snape looked Harry in the eye.

"I don't know. I also haven't had time to do research. Been sort of busy," Harry replied, still using the sarcasm.

"Harry, don't be cheeky. You're not in the best situation," Snape glared at him slightly. Just then they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Look, cut the cheek and you'll be fine. In advance, sorry for anything I do," Just as Snape stopped talking, the door opened and he stood up.

"Are we ready?" Voldemort sneered as he sat down again, the Death Eaters forming a circle around him and Harry.

"Ready as we'll ever be," Harry said.

"Let's begin. The wards that protect the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. How are they broken?" Voldemort asked.

"Why don't you ask Snape? I'm sure he knows where it is. Get him to tell you," Harry said angrily.

"He has, but only Dumbledore knows how to break the wards."

"Well, there's your answer. Dumbledore's the only one that knows. I don't know anything," Harry stated. Voldemort stayed quiet, debating on whether or not to believe him.

"I've been hearing that Dumbledore's been leaving the castle often. Where does he go?" Harry held his breath. He knew this one. Dumbledore had begun to look for horcruxes, though he hadn't succeeded yet." Tell me where he goes!" Voldemort demanded. Harry looked up at him and eyed the wand Voldemort was pointing at him.

"No," he said defiantly.

"Very well," Voldemort raised his wand. "_Crucio_!" Harry writhed and screamed out in agony. They all laughed, all of them except Snape.


	15. Chapter 15

_Sirius looked around with is wand drawn, as he and Remus walked through a large chamber. They walked into another room to see Death Eaters all in a circle around two figures. There was a man and a boy kneeling on the floor, his arms bound. Sirius tried to yell out for Harry, but his voice didn't seem to be working._

_He walked over to the group just in time to see Harry scream and writhe around in clear pain._

_"Harry!" he yelled but no one seemed to hear, though they were right beside him._

_"Now, Harry. Do you want to cooperate or should I kill you now?" Voldemort wondered and the teen glared at him._

_"Go ahead, kill me!" Harry growled._

_"_Avada Kedavra_!"__ Voldemort cried and a flash of red light hit Harry._

_"No! Harry!" Sirius shouted as Harry fell to the floor. "Harry!"_

* * *

><p>"No!" Sirius flew up in his bed and whipped around to the window as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. He was sweating and his heart was beating fiercely. He sighed, stood up, and walked down to the kitchen. He glanced at the clock and saw it was two-thirty in the morning. Sirius opened the fridge and grabbed a butterbeer, sitting at the table.<p>

"He's alive. They kept him alive. He's not dead," Sirius told himself quietly, sipping his drink.

"Sirius? What are you doing up?" Remus wondered as he finished walking down the stairs.

"Could ask you the same thing," Sirius replied.

"Couldn't sleep," Remus said simply, grabbing his own butterbeer and sitting down.

"Same. Nightmares for me, you?" Sirius nodded.

"Nightmares," Remus sighed, drinking.

"I'm thinking of going back to the Ministry to help out," Sirius said making Remus choke.

"You're what? Sirius, you promised me you would wait four days. We're only going onto the second day," Remus told him, staring at his friend.

"That's the thing! It's only day two. I'm going completely mental here and I know you are too. I saw you in Harry's room yesterday," Sirius stated.

"These things take time," Remus answered quietly.

"That's what I hate. I'm gonna try get back to sleep. G'night, Moony," Sirius stood up and went back to his room. Remus stared at the stairs for a few seconds then followed and went back to bed.

* * *

><p>It was the next day when Harry finally opened his eyes. He had woken up earlier to find himself back in the chamber in the unknown place. After the curse had been too much, he had blacked out, later waking with his hands tightly tied behind his back again.<p>

Harry breathed deeply as he replayed the previous day's events. Voldemort was back to full power and had him helplessly tied up. He moved a bit and began playing with the knots on his wrists. He winced as he felt the rope dig into his skin.

_Sirius and Remus must be going mental__, _Harry sighed, still pulling uselessly at the bonds. He gave up on the rope and leaned his head on the wall, closing his eyes as he thought back to the last day he had spent with his godfathers.

_Flashback__  
><em>_"Ron, Hermione. Where's Harry?" Sirius and Remus asked._

_"He told us he went outside. He got pretty upset when neither of you showed last week," Hermione answered and the older wizards went outside. They walked for a bit before they came to the large tree and saw a boy with his legs pulled tightly to his chest as he watched the squid. They walked up to him and grinned at each other. Remus and Sirius bent down and tickled each of Harry's sides. The teen jumped up and spun around just as the older wizards stood up._

_"You're here!" Harry smiled as he hugged his guardians._

_"Of course we are, kiddo. Sorry we didn't make it last week," Sirius replied and they all sat down._

_"Hey, are you studying? OWLs are next week," Remus nudged his nephew who rolled his eyes._

_"Yes, Remus, I'm studying," Harry grinned and Remus scowled. It was quiet for a bit and Sirius and Remus smirked at each other, nodding._

_"Come on," Sirius and Remus helped Harry to stand. Sirius then lifted Harry over his shoulder and threw him in the lake. He rose to the surface, spitting out water. He looked up at them as they offered to help, but when Harry took their hands, he pulled them in as well._

_"Little bugger," Sirius splashed water at Harry who splashed back. They swam to shore and lay in the grass._

_"Do you think it'll happen soon?" Harry asked, sitting up. "Voldemort coming back and having to face them and all that?" he added and his guardians sat up as well._

_"We don't know anything, pup. The only thing we know is that when it happens, it happens and we'll be there. So will Ron and Hermione," Remus told him. He and Sirius put their arms around Harry's shoulders and he leaned into them. Once again it was quiet before Sirius changed the subject._

_"So, how is it going with a certain red-head?" Sirius grinned with Harry and Remus smiled, shaking his head.__  
><em>_  
>End of Flashback<em>

Harry felt anger bubble up in himself and slammed his head once against the wall, not caring about the headache he would soon get. In the hours that passed, Harry began thinking about why Voldemort was keeping him besides wanting information. He figured Voldemort wanted to lead Sirius and Remus to their hiding place so he could kill them. Harry remembered when his uncles told him about how much they had already pissed Voldemort off, making him smile slightly as their faces swam into his memory.

He sat there, staring at the floor blankly as the faces of Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Remus, Sirius, and many others faded in and out of his head. The mental picture of Fred and George disappeared as Harry's head snapped up when the door opened. He braced himself as his hair and arms got grabbed, roughly and carelessly pulling him up. He winced and silently groaned as shots of pain went through his legs and arms.

The Death Eaters lead him through a door then pushed him to his knees in front of Voldemort in his armchair.

"Harry, we need you to do something," Voldemort spoke but Harry kept his gaze on the concrete floor.

"I'm not doing anything," Harry said angrily though gritted teeth. Voldemort looked at a Death Eater and nodded, causing the Death Eater to kick Harry powerfully in the stomach. He yelped in pain and shut his eyes tightly, biting his lip.

"Anyways, you have to do something for us, for the benefit of your useless godfathers, of course," Harry stared up at the man at the mention of his guardians. Voldemort looked back into the teen's eyes then nodded at Bellatrix. Harry tensed and winced as the witch pulled his arms up painfully, and cut the rope with her wand. He brought his arms to his front and grimaced at his bruised wrists.

"It seems that even after Lucius' letter your godfathers still aren't convinced that I've kept you alive," Harry avoided his eyes as he spoke, still looking at the ground beneath him. Voldemort flicked his wand and a piece of parchment and a quill appeared in front of harry. He frowned at it then looked up as Voldemort pointed his wand at the boy. "I need you to write something only you would know," Voldemort finished.

Harry looked at the parchment, knowing it was simple. "No!" Harry shouted and his scar started to ache even more.

"You don't seem to understand that I can kill you right here and now."

"You can, but you won't."

"_Crucio_!"

Harry writhed on the floor, screaming loudly and in agony as Voldemort just smiled at the boy's torment. He mentally begged for it to stop, then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Harry tried to push his shaking body up as he drew in ragged breaths.

"Are you going to do it or do I need to do more convincing?" Voldemort said. Harry bit his lip as he finally got himself back into the regular kneeling position. He shut his eyes then opened them, not wanting to give in but not wanting to get brutally tortured. He immediately hated himself as he lightly nodded.

Smiling with satisfaction, Voldemort made the parchment and quill float over to Harry who looked at it, reaching for the quill. He stared at the paper as he held the quill and tried to think of what to write. He sighed internally as something entered his mind.

He put the quill to the parchment and messily wrote, '_I'm the youngest Seeker in a century.'_

He felt horrible as he dropped the quill and pushed the parchment away. Lucius walked over to Harry, picked up the paper, and left the room, leaving only Harry and Voldemort.

"Now, who is in the Order of the Phoenix?" Voldemort asked simply. Harry stared into his red, cold eyes and realized his breathing was finally getting back to normal. "Who?"

Harry glared at him. "No."

"Tell me! Who is in the Order?" Voldemort shouted.

"When are you going to understand that I'm not telling you anything?" Harry yelled. Voldemort knelt down in front of the teen and took his face in one of his hands. Harry wanted to scream as his scar seared with pain. He shut his eyes tightly trying to shut out the aching pain.

"You are going to tell me what I want to know, no matter what or how long it takes," Harry jerked his head away and Voldemort sat down, the pain in his scar still not subsiding.

"No," Harry growled.

"Then you know what happens now," Harry's heart started pounding with anticipation and his eyes grew wide as he kept staring into the red ones, still holding onto his promise. "_Crucio_!"

* * *

><p>"Anything?" Tonks asked Kingsley who had returned to the Ministry.<p>

"Nothing. I don't know where he is," Kingsley sighed. Tonks looked to the floor sadly then her eyes lit up.

"Little Hangleton," she said.

"What about it?" Kingsley frowned.

"The Riddle House. In Little Hangleton. Maybe he's being held there. It would be the ideal place," Tonks told him.

"You're brilliant. See you in a bit," Kingsley smiled and headed out again. She grinned to herself then went to find Aurors, Brad Walker and Tara Richards.

* * *

><p>"Remus! Get the door! If it's for me, I'll get back to them!" Sirius called dully as he heard the doorbell. Remus sighed as he answered the door. He was getting worried about his friend. Sirius spent a lot of his time in Harry's bedroom, just staring out the window or sitting on the bed. Sirius never came down to eat at dinner time. An hour after Remus had eaten Sirius would get some food then go back upstairs. He opened the door.<p>

"Oh, hi, Severus. Come in," Remus tried to smile but failed. Whenever anyone came over, neither Sirius nor Remus showed much emotion.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm still trying to figure out where Harry is being kept," Snape told Remus who nodded in acknowledgement as he resumed his usual seat on the couch. "Want me to tell Sirius?" Snape asked, breaking the growing silence.

"I'll tell him. Thanks, Severus," Remus responded with no tone. Snape nodded his head and left. Remus looked at the clock and realized it was almost nine-thirty p.m. He glanced outside where it had been raining for the past three days. He thought to himself for a bit, and then went to the kitchen. Remus knew that if he did what he wanted to do, he would be acting like Sirius, but who cared? He was going to drown his sorrows in a couple bottles of Firewhiskey.

* * *

><p>At Hogwarts, things weren't much better. Many of the Gryffindors had grown very quiet in Harry's absence. Especially Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and even Neville. Since they had no leader, the DA had stopped and because OWLs were only a few days off. Even thought OWLs were so close, Hermione had stopped studying, and everyone was getting worried about her.<p>

Every once in a while, Hermione and Ginny could be seen crying silently, Neville didn't speak to anyone, and Ron hardly spoke or ate anything, and always sat in a corner in the common room, staring out the window. Hermione had even stopped answering questions in class and was falling behind on her homework.

"Miss Granger, what is a Thestral and why can only some people see them?" Moody asked in Defence.

"A Thestral is—is—I—I don't know," Hermione began then finished quietly. The class gasped and whispers broke out. Hermione glanced around, the glanced at Ron and looked to the desk. Ron rubbed her back as he looked up at Moody, who looked back sadly. The class continued then the bell rang for dinner.

"I'm not hungry. You guys?" Hermione stated as she walked down a corridor with Ron, Neville, and Ginny. They all shook their heads and headed for Gryffindor Tower.

"What are we going to do if they never find Harry?" Neville wondered as they sat by the fire.

"Dunno. All I know is that if they don't find him, Remus and Sirius are going to like shut down. They'll never be normal without Harry," Ginny responded.

"No kidding. If they don't get a lead on this case, they're going to do something themselves," Hermione answered.

"I hope they find Harry soon," Ron said. They all at each other then gazed in the dying fire.

* * *

><p>Remus and Sirius were eating breakfast, the silence that had formed over the days lingering over them. Even thought he had made the food, Remus wasn't hungry and was just picking at it like Sirius.<p>

"Are you going to eat?" Remus asked Sirius who shook his head. Remus took the plates, made the food vanish, and cleaned the plates. "We have to eat, you know that?" Remus added.

"I know. We'll get to it," Sirius told him. "Got it," he said and walked to the door as the bell rang. "Hi, Tonks, Kingsley," Sirius sat at the table again with Remus.

"Hi, guys. What's going on?" Remus looked at them as they sat down as well.

"First things first. How are you two holding up?" Tonks replied.

"We're fine," Remus said quickly and the Aurors stared at the two wizards.

"How can you be fine? Neither of you have slept for three days, neither of you have eaten for three days, Sirius, you hardly leave Harry's bedroom, Remus, you sit in the living room or your bedroom. We haven't seen you read a thing in the past three days. You don't talk to anyone and if you do, you have no tone, no emotion," Kingsley stated.

"We're fine. Are you here to lecture us on how we live or are you here for something?" Sirius crossed his arms and leaned back.

"We got something this morning. It's important," Kingsley answered.

"What is it?" Remus asked.

"Here," Tonks pushed a piece of parchment to them after sharing a gaze with her partner. Remus and Sirius frowned then picked up the parchment. They unfolded it and saw the words, '_I'm the youngest Seeker in a century.'_

"What the bloody hell is that?" Sirius said loudly.

"Sirius, did you look closely at the writing?" Tonks told her cousin.

"This is Harry's writing. It's Harry's writing," Remus remarked quietly and the other three looked at him.

"How do you know that?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because I'm the one who always helps Harry with his homework so I know his writing anywhere. You should know it too, he sends you letters all the time and you taught him for two and a half years," Remus explained.

"What does it mean?" Sirius wondered.

"It means that we have proof that Harry's actually alive. This is his writing and what he wrote is true. We're trying to keep all of this down-low but I think the _Prophet's _going to get it soon," Tonks answered and the others nodded.

"So Harry's alive and Voldemort's back. How long before Voldemort kills him?" Sirius said.

"Voldemort might actually keep him alive for a bit because he's probably going to want information," Remus told them.

"Information about what?" Kingsley asked.

"The prophecy. The Order. About Dumbledore, since he's been leaving the castle lately," Remus listed. "He knows about all of them, but only some about the Order," he added.

"We have to find him. They won't keep him alive forever," Sirius looked at them.

* * *

><p>"Well, well, well. It seems tomorrow will be your fifth day here, Harry," Voldemort told Harry. "Since you wrote to your godfathers, they finally believe that you're alive," Harry continued staring at the floor.<p>

"It's been almost a week and I'm still not saying a thing," Harry replied.

"Right now that's not the problem. We need you to write to Lupin and Black again," Voldemort made a quill and parchment appear in front of Harry. The boy's arms were released and he stared at the paper. He glared up at Voldemort, then picked up the quill and wrote, '_In our first year, Fluffy, the three-headed dog, tried to eat me, Ron, and Hermione.__'_

The paper got taken and Harry was left alone with Voldemort again.

"So, tell me, Harry, where is the prophecy?"

"Let's see. No," Harry said simply.

"I don't think you understand your situation or what I can do," Voldemort took out his wand.

"Well, it's been a week and you've been using the same curse the whole time," Harry answered.

"So what you're saying is that you're bored with what we're doing?" Voldemort stated.

"You could say that," Harry nodded.

"Let's try something new then. Where is the prophecy?" Voldemort stood up and Harry could see the tips of his black shoes as he continued staring at the floor.

"I'm not saying anything." When he finished, Voldemort flicked his wand and a large, deep cut appeared on Harry's back then another on his chest. He yelled out in pain and collapsed to the floor.

"Tell me about the prophecy."

"No," Harry growled quietly.

"What was that?"

"No!" Harry said louder. He screamed and collapsed as Voldemort hit him in the chest and back with more gashes.

"Tell me!" Voldemort said angrily.

"When are you going to get the fact that I'm not telling you anything?" Harry shouted. Voldemort flicked his wand, first hitting the teen with a Cutting Curse then the Cruciatus Curse. He smirked as Harry writhed on the stone floor in agony. When the curse was lifted, Harry rolled breathlessly onto his back.

"See, that's where you're wrong, Harry, because you will give in eventually. And until you do, you'll be staying here and we'll do the same thing over and over," Voldemort whispered in his ear, making Harry's scar sear with pain.

Voldemort smirked, sat down again, and watched as Lucius and Bellatrix lead him out of the room again. Lucius bound Harry's arms tightly again, then pushed him to the floor in the original room. When they left, Harry looked down at his shirt, which had about six tears where the curses had hit him, and was stained with fresh blood. He sighed, closed his eyes, desperate for some sleep, and leaned against the wall.

* * *

><p>"It's been almost five days," Sirius said to Remus as they sat in the living room.<p>

"All right. You can start doing your own thing, but don't go back to work. Go back on Monday. Today's Friday," Remus told his friend.

"Fine," Sirius sighed. Just then, there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Sirius went to the door and opened it, revealing Kingsley and Tonks.

"We got another one," Tonks said as Sirius let them in and Remus walked into the kitchen.

"Another what?" Remus asked as they sat at the table.

"Another note from Harry," Kingsley replied and handed some parchment to Sirius and Remus. The opened it and read, '_In first year, Fluffy, the three-headed dog tried to eat me, Ron, and Hermione.' _

They both slightly laughed silently.

"So we know he's alive, but how much and for how long?" Sirius sighed.

"We'll get something soon," Tonks answered.

"Sirius is also starting his own thing. We'll definitely get something," Remus stated. They looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. How long would it be before the something they were waiting for, came along?

* * *

><p>Since Harry disappeared, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville had begun to hang out and talk to each other. As they were walking to lunch one day, they ran into Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe.<p>

"Look who it is. You're all alone now, aren't you? No one to defend you anymore. It's a relief knowing that the Dark Lord will finally finish him off. The school—the world—will be better off without Potter and maybe his useless guardians as well. Then he can come for the Mud—" he didn't get to finish because Ron and Neville jumped on him, knocking him to the ground. Ron threw a punch and hit Malfoy in the face, making his nose bleed.

Instead of helping, Crabbe and Goyle stood there watching, like Hermione and Ginny. Neville swung at Malfoy too, but missed.

"Uh oh. Ron, Neville. Stop. McGonagall," Ginny whispered and she and Hermione pulled Neville and Ron up.

"You four. Come with me," McGonagall pointed at the Gryffindors and they followed, the three Slytherins smirking and laughing.

"Professor, we—" Hermione got cut off by McGonagall.

"I know what happened and I don't blame any of you. I know it's been hard on you four these past few days," McGonagall said as she led them through the castle.

"We don't even know anything about the case. We're just sitting here waiting to be told that Harry's dead or alive," Ron answered.

"Well, Mr. Potter is alive. He's sent a couple notes to the Ministry. In the second one he wrote about how he, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger were close to being eaten by a three-headed dog in your first year," she smiled at them as they chuckled.

"So where are we going, Professor?" Ginny wondered.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to you," the Transfiguration professor told them.

"About what?" Neville asked.

"About maybe sending the four of you to Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore said when they entered the headmaster's office.

"What do you mean?" Ron frowned.

"It's been hard for you four to get through school while your minds are on Harry. Miss Granger, you don't speak in class anymore, your grades are dropping, and you've been seen crying. Miss Weasley, your grades are dropping as well and you've also been seen crying. Mr. Longbottom, you don't talk to anyone anymore. Mr. Weasley, you don't talk to anyone and always only sit in the corner of the common room, staring out the window. We feel you four should either go to your own houses or go to Grimmauld Place. You choose where you want to go," Dumbledore said to each of them.

"I'll go home, sir," Neville stated.

"We'll go home too," Ron and Ginny nodded.

"I'll go to the Weasleys' if it's all right," Hermione looked at Ginny and Ron, who nodded.

"Good. You can all stay home until Harry returns," Dumbledore smiled at them.

"Come on. Go pack and we'll get your parents to come pick you up," McGonagall said and ushered them to Gryffindor Tower.

It was fifteen minutes later when Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived and Neville's grandmother.

"Thank you for coming. Hopefully we'll see them soon with Harry. Goodbye," Dumbledore smiled at them as they left.

* * *

><p>"Harry, I have a question for you. Where is Summer's wand?" Voldemort asked calmly that night.<p>

"How should I know?" Harry said even though he did know. It was in the same drawer as the file on Lucius Malfoy that was magically locked.

"Because she dropped it when we had to quickly leave our hiding place because your godfather and his friends were coming. They must have found it," Voldemort answered. Harry stayed silent for a bit. He didn't want to say where the wand was but he didn't think he could deal with another cutting or Cruciatus Curse at the moment.

"It's at the Ministry," he said, hating himself immensely.

"Where?"

Harry bit his lip knowing he shouldn't say. "Sirius' office. Second drawer from the top in the filing cabinet in the corner opposite his desk."

"Thank you. We'll go on Monday," Voldemort replied. Harry frowned and sighed, knowing Voldemort was waiting until Monday for a reason.


	16. Chapter 16

"We just got another one. He's still alive," Tonks said as she and Kingsley walked into Grimmauld Place.

"Let's see," Remus stated. Kingsley gave them the paper and they read, _'Hermione punched Draco Malfoy in the nose in fourth year._' Sirius and Remus smiled.

"It's been a week and one day. We've gotten three notes. We've got to figure something out soon," Sirius sighed as Kingsley and Tonks sat down.

"But the thing is, how can we figure stuff out when we don't have the slightest idea of anything?" Tonks replied.

"I don't know. Look, I'm helping now and I'm coming back to the Ministry," Sirius told them.

"I've got to go too. I need to get back on the Greyback case. Of course, I'm going to help also," Remus added.

"We'll be coming back around noon," Sirius answered.

"We'll see you there. Bye, you guys," Tonks smiled and the two Aurors Flooed back to the Ministry.

"So, when we go back, where do we start?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"I have absolutely no idea. I was hoping you knew," Sirius sighed and Remus rolled his eyes.

"You're a lot of help, you know that?" Remus said sarcastically.

"Hey, I can be helpful. I am Head Auror, aren't I?" Sirius smirked a little.

"Good point," Remus nodded. "So, Head Auror, what do we do?"

"No idea," Sirius sat back and shrugged. Remus shook his head while he looked at his friend.

* * *

><p>Harry didn't even look up or flinch when the door opened. He was weak from all the torture and cutting curses and the common kick in the face or stomach. He was also very tired and hungry. He didn't know how much more he could take. A small shot of pain went through his scar and his head began to pound.<p>

"Before we leave, well, before they leave, I just wanted to thank you again for helping us, Harry," Voldemort said. Harry shut his eyes and clenched his teeth together. He hated himself for telling them and wished he could take it back. "Lucius, Bellatrix, Summer, Goyle, Crabbe, Nott, and all the rest of you, you know what to do," he said to his Death Eaters who nodded and walked away. "Now, Harry. While they're gone, let's talk."

"I'm not in the talkative mood right now."

"Well, we'll talk anyways," Voldemort stated. Harry rolled his eyes. "What does the prophecy say?"

"I think I'll keep that one to myself," Harry answered, still staring at the ground, his knees pulled his chest.

"Come now, Harry. Why don't you make things easy on yourself and just tell me what I want to know?" Voldemort remarked as he got a chair and sat down.

"That would be making things easy on you, and I'm not the person that will do that. I'll take the hard way out," Harry replied. Voldemort flicked his wand and hit the teen on the cheek with a Cutting Curse. Harry cursed under his breath as he felt the cut bleed.

"Come on. Surely you want to go home. To your guardians."

"That's the thing. As much as I want to go home to them, I know that even if I tell you what you want to know, you won't let me go. You'll kill me instead," Harry stated, finally looking up at the other man in the room.

"That may be true but I might change that if you choose to cooperate," Voldemort replied casually.

"Well that's a pretty big 'if' because I'm not helping," Harry glared at him. He waved his wand and hit Harry on the cheek again, making the boy curse colourfully.

"Since you don't seem in the mood to talk, I'm going to leave and I'll be back when my Death Eaters return," Voldemort made the chair disappear and left the room.

* * *

><p>"We should get to work," Remus told Sirius who nodded.<p>

"Let's go," they Flooed to the Ministry.

"I'll see you in a bit. I need to talk to Keisha Hunter and Simon Kennedy. They're working on the werewolf case also," Remus said when they got to the Ministry and left for his department.

"Hey, Peterson. Where's Tonks and Kingsley?" Sirius asked when he ran into Jesse Peterson.

"They're down in Shacklebolt's office," Peterson told him and he walked down the hall.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" Sirius asked when he entered the office.

"Just talking about everything. Where's Remus?" Tonks answered as Sirius sat down.

"Went to his department. Has to talk to a couple people. Have we gotten anything on the Malfoy case?" Sirius stated.

"Nothing. We have no idea where he is. The only way we'll find him is if we find Voldemort, and when we find them, we'll find Harry," Kingsley told him.

"Let's hope that's all true and will happen soon," Sirius sighed.

"Hi, Tonks. Hi, Kingsley. How's it going?" Remus stated as he entered the office and sat down.

"Hey, Remus. If you call not having a lead on any of our cases good, it's going great. You?" Tonks replied.

"Nothing. Greyback and his pack have disappeared again. We need someone who is a werewolf to try and join the group and follow them it's time and situations like this I sometimes wish I was still a werewolf," Remus crossed his arms.

"Have there been any more killings? Voldemort, Death Eaters, or werewolves?" Sirius wondered.

"A couple days ago a man and his wife were murdered by Death Eaters. Muggles," Kingsley remarked.

"Any word of Harry?" Remus asked, and they shook their heads. Just then, all the lights flickered then went out, engulfing the entire building in darkness.

"What's going on?" Tonks frowned.

"Let's go. Wands out and lit," Sirius whispered and they all took their wands out, lighting them. They walked slowly and quietly down the corridor, then they was a big flash of light and they saw the outlines of many people.

"Death Eaters? In the Ministry?" Kingsley stated.

"You've got to be kidding me. How did they get in?" Tonks whispered.

"Hello, Remus. Hello, Sirius," a woman said. Even though they couldn't see anyone, Remus and Sirius knew who it was.

"Summer?" they said together.

"Just thought I'd drop by for a visit. I hope you don't mind, but I brought friends," she replied as she stepped into the wand lights.

"Hello, Lupin. How have you been?" a voice said behind Remus, making him turn around.

"Greyback. I should have known," Remus growled.

"Black, nice to see you again," Lucius Malfoy stated.

"Hi, Sirius," another woman said.

"Lucius and Bellatrix. What are you all doing here?"

"Just picking up a few things," Lucius said simply.

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius yelled but missed.

"_Crucio_!" Bellatrix cried, the curse just missing Kingsley.

"_Impedimenta_!" Remus shouted as he and Greyback fought.

"Don't you miss it, Lupin? Don't you miss all those full moons? I especially like the full moon where you attacked your nephew two years ago. Shame Black came and stopped you from killing him," Greyback sneered, his fangs showing.

"I don't miss anything and I never will. _Reducto_!" The spell missed.

"I suggest you stop trying to keep tabs on my pack and I. It could lead somewhere dangerous."

"I'm going to make sure you never kill again," Remus glowered and continued fighting with the werewolf.

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius yelled.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Bellatrix cried.

"_Incarcerous_!" Remus shouted.

"_Crucio_!" Summer said.

"_Expelliarmus_!" Kingsley shouted.

"_Impedimenta_!" Tonks cried.

"_Reducto_!" Lucius yelled.

"_Sectumsempra_!" Summer yelled.

"_Protego_!" Sirius said, shielding himself.

"_Confundo_!" Tonks yelled quickly.

"_Conjunctivitis_!" Kingsley said loudly.

"_Stupefy_!" Remus yelled, the spell missing Greyback.

"One thing before we go. We have your godson," Lucius smirked and all the Death Eaters disappeared along with Greyback.

"Jackass. I'm going to kill him. I swear I'm going to kill him," Sirius said angrily.

"Sirius, you all need to go see what they were doing. You can make threats later. I'm going to see if they're trying to get the lights back on," Remus told his friend who nodded.

"Let's go," Sirius slowly led the way down the corridor.

"Hey, boss. I think they were in your office," Kingsley said and they all walked into the office. It had been almost completely torn apart. Papers were all over, his desk was a complete mess, and one drawer was open on the filing cabinet. Sirius walked over to the cabinet and looked in the drawer.

"They got what they came for," he sighed. "Summer's wand is gone and so is the file on Malfoy."

"How did they know you had the wand and how did they know where it was in your office?" Tonks asked her cousin.

"No idea. Someone told them but I don't know anyone who knows and would tell Voldemort and his friends," Sirius shrugged, frowning.

"Why would they take the file?" Tonks wondered.

"Let's put it this way. That's the only copy of that file and it's not like we memorize what it says," Sirius answered, picking up a couple pictures. One of James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, and Harry as a baby, and the other of Remus, Sirius, and a thirteen year old Harry.

"That's not the only copy," Kingsley said.

"Yes, it was. I never made anymore because that one was supposedly safely locked away," Sirius nodded.

"But I did make another copy. I've made a copy of all the very important files," Kingsley told his boss.

"What? You have copies of all my important files?" Sirius raised an eyebrow. Kingsley nodded. "You're brilliant. I knew there was a reason I made you my second-in-command," Sirius grinned and Kingsley rolled his eyes.

"Is there anything that might help us un anyway?" Tonks replied.

"Nope. I just need to do a lot of cleaning. Hey, Remus. You got time?" Sirius turned to his friend who raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Just asking," they all rolled their eyes.

"So how did they get in? They couldn't have just walked in. The alarms would have gone off," Tonks stated.

"Not if they had someone in the Ministry to let them in and they were disguised as someone else," Remus answered.

"So, you're saying, there's a Death Eater in the Ministry and that person got them in?" Tonks remarked and Remus nodded.

"But how? I thought Brooks was our spy and he's in Azkaban," Kingsley pointed out.

"He was, but there's another one. Or someone was and is under the Imperius Curse," Sirius replied.

"How do we find who the person is?" Tonks asked.

"No idea," Remus, Sirius, and Kingsley all shrugged and she sighed.

* * *

><p>"It seems your godfather has been trying to keep up with Lucius," Voldemort dropped the file in front of Harry who looked at it but didn't do anything. "I also had Fenrir go to the Ministry and he met up with Lupin," Harry's head shot up and Voldemort smirked.<p>

"You said you only wanted Summer's wand. Why did you take the file? Did Greyback hurt Remus?" Harry glared at him.

"Lupin is fine. We did get the wand. We found it important to take the file so that your godfather couldn't continue with the case. I couldn't let him continue to try and catch one of my best Death Eaters," Voldemort answered.

"Sirius will catch him, along with the others," Harry said angrily.

"Oh, I don't think so because if he or Lupin comes near me, I'll just kill them. They won't know what happened."

"Leave them alone," Harry said through clenched teeth. He clenched his hands together as well, in anger and in pain.

"Since you're here, let's see if you'll cooperate. Tell me about the prophecy," Voldemort took out his wand as he spoke. He flicked it and cut the ropes binding Harry.

"No," Harry stated simply, knowing what was coming. Sure enough, he yelled in pain as a cut hit his back and began to bleed.

"Where is the prophecy?"

"No," the boy yelled out again as he got hit in the chest with a Cutting Curse.

"Where does Dumbledore go when he leaves the castle?"

"You don't catch on quickly, do you? I'm not saying a thing." Harry almost shouted. Pain tore through his body as he collapsed, writhing and twisting on the floor. He tried not to scream but the pain was too much. After a couple minutes, the curse was lifted and Harry didn't even try to get up, knowing he couldn't.

"Who's in the Order?" Voldemort asked quietly.

"I'm not saying," Harry struggled to speak. He had been slowly trying to get up, but fell down again after two Cutting Hexes and the Cruciatus Curse again.

"Harry, this is going to go on until you tell me what I want to know or until you die. Your choice," Voldemort told him.

"I'll die before I tell you anything. So kill me, I dare you. It's better than this," Harry spat.

"Take him. We're done," Voldemort said to the Death Eaters who bound him and lead him to the original room.

"See. You can kill me and you want to, but you won't. You want too much from me," Harry called as he was led away. Harry landed on his knees as the Death Eaters pushed him down then left. Harry shut his eyes tightly and clenched his hands, once again in anger and pain. He stayed on his knees, slightly bent over, and staring at the floor for a long time, before he decided to think of the next thing he would write to Sirius and Remus.

* * *

><p>It had already been over a week and a half and everyone was going crazy. The Ministry was busy and a wreck. Since the attack on the Ministry, security had gotten worse. Also, somehow the <em>Prophet <em>had gotten stories.

_Attack on the Ministry of Magic__  
>At two-seventeen p.m. yesterday, there was an attack on the Ministry of Magic. Somehow, six Death Eaters managed to get past all the security fields. It is said that the wards go off if there is a Death Eater trying to get in. So why didn't they go off? The main damage was in Head Auror, Sirius Black's office. Why would they go there? You see, Mr. Black is not who you think he is. The Death Eaters went to his office because he is a Death Eater himself. A follower of the Dark Lord…<em>

Neither Remus, Sirius, Kingsley, nor Tonks finished reading the article. While trying to convince the press and everyone else that he wasn't a Death Eater, Sirius and the others also had another problem. Somehow, and Remus and Sirius were determined to find out how, the press had also found out about the kidnapping of Harry. All the papers had the story and not just any story, Rita Skeeter's story; the same reporter who wrote the article on the Ministry attack.

_The Boy Who Lived Kidnapped__  
>Over a week and a half ago, out own fifteen year old Mr. Harry Potter disappeared. Mr. Potter had gone to Gryffindor Tower to get his Potions book and while there, Head Auror and Death Eater, Sirius Black, with his werewolf friend, Remus Lupin, kidnapped the boy. They took him to the Dark Lord who is now keeping him. Where? No one knows except Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin. Please, Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin, for the sake of our world, turn yourselves in and return Mr. Potter to us.<em>

"I swear. If one more story calls me and Remus Death Eaters, I'm going to do some killing," Sirius said angrily, throwing the paper down and making Remus, Kingsley, and Tonks laugh.

"How did the press find out?" Kingsley wondered.

"Worse. How did Skeeter find out?" Tonks stated.

"I don't mind the attack getting out 'cause it would have anyways, but Harry," Remus replied and the others nodded.

"It took me almost twenty minutes to get into the building because of the security and my being a follower if Voldemort. I've also had four people come up to me and ask to see my left forearm. I was ready to curse someone," Sirius recalled his hectic morning.

"We've all had someone ask to see our arms," Remus sighed.

"Why you two?" Sirius asked, pointing at Kingsley and Tonks.

"Everyone seems to feel that since I'm your cousin and because we're all close friends with Kingsley, that we too are Death Eaters. Lovely, isn't it?" Tonks answered.

"This should be fun. How is it down in your department, Remus?" Kingsley wondered.

"Everyone doesn't stop staring at me. Kind of like when people would find out I was a werewolf," Remus remarked.

"Mr. Black! Mr. Black, are you there?" a woman called outside Sirius' closed office door.

"Who is it?" Sirius asked, even though the others could tell he didn't care.

"Auror Tanner Woods. It's important," Woods replied and Sirius groaned, expecting it to be someone else wanting to see his arm.

"What is it?" Sirius asked again.

"We got another note from your kid," Woods answered and Sirius swung the door open so hard, Woods was amazed it didn't fly off its hinges.

"Let's see it," Sirius said and Woods handed him the parchment. On it was the sentence, '_In second year, me, Ron, and Hermione used the Polyjuice Potion and Hermione turned into a cat.'_

"This is getting ridiculous. We can't just keep waiting for these letters to come. Pretty soon they won't come anymore," Sirius stated after he finished reading.

"Look, we have absolutely no idea where Harry is. I also don't think Snape is trying," Remus crossed his arms.

"You're both losing trust in him, aren't you?" Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"A little," Remus and Sirius nodded.

"Where could he be though? I've looked everywhere. Even the Riddle House in Little Hangleton. He wasn't there," Kingsley sighed as he sat back and the others sat down again.

"Dunno. All I know is that it's almost been two weeks. He might not have long," Sirius stated, looking everyone in the eye.

* * *

><p>Harry was going in and out of sleep. He mentally kicked himself for refusing to write to his guardians, then for refusing to give Voldemort what he wanted, but he swore not to give in. He had gotten hit with four more cuts. One on his other cheek, one on his chest, and two on his back. When his arms were released, Harry had looked at his wrists again to see they were red, bruised, and looked ready to bleed a bit.<p>

Just as he was falling asleep, the door opened and he opened his eyes, but didn't look up. Harry suppressed a groan as he got dragged to his feet and to the other room. When Harry got pushed to his knees, he almost fell over but managed to keep his balance.

"Harry. Tomorrow night will be the day. It'll be two weeks that you've been here. I'm thinking of sending something to your pitiful godfathers. Either a letter or a postcard," Voldemort said. Harry didn't have enough strength to lift his head.

"Leave them alone," Harry growled.

"I could kill you and send them a picture of it," Voldemort stated.

"Then kill me already! I'm tired of listening to you say how you could kill me! If you want to, just do it! You've obviously run out of things to torture me with! Kill me!" Harry yelled, glaring deeply at Voldemort, earning him a kick in the stomach adding to the pain of the ribs which he was pretty sure were broken.

"So, let's send them a postcard. Bellatrix, you have to camera, right?" Voldemort looked at her and she nodded.

"Yes, my Lord," she took out a camera and her wand, cutting the ropes on Harry.

"Your arm, Harry," Voldemort said.

"No," Harry said quietly. Voldemort nodded and Lucius held Harry's right arm forward, while Summer took hold of his hair, forcing Harry's head up.

"Harry. We can do this or you can change my mind by telling me about the prophecy. If you do, then I'll send a letter," Voldemort stated as he put his wand to Harry's forearm.

"No. I'll stick to this. I don't feel up to telling you anything," Harry replied.

"Very well. Ready, Bellatrix?" Voldemort looked at her as she nodded. "_Morsmordre_."

There was a red light and Harry yelled in pain as it happened. After it was done, Harry was released and he looked at his arm. It was red around where the Dark Mark was now on his arm.

"Here it is, my Lord," Bellatrix handed Voldemort a postcard.

"I think your godfathers will love this. Summer, go send this to Lupin and Black," he gave it to Summer after signing his name. "Lucius, please take him back," Lucius tied Harry's throbbing arms then brought him back to the room.

"Oh man. This is getting ridiculous," Harry leaned against the wall and tried to get to sleep again.

* * *

><p>Sirius walked across the street and sat on a bench in the park. He had gotten a letter from Summer, telling him to meet her in the park. She wanted to talk.<p>

"Sirius—" a woman said quietly as she stepped out of the shadows. "Thanks for doing this."

"I'm not doing this for anyone but myself. What do you want?" Sirius said, placing a hand on his wand. Summer, seeing this, stopped walking.

"Sirius, I want you to believe me when I say I'm sorry because I really mean it," Summer stated. Sirius just stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue and kept a hand on his wand. "Sirius, I don't blame you and Remus for hating me, but can't you see I'm trying now? I regret what I did. I really do and I wish everyday that I could do it over. I'm trying now and I want Harry to give me a chance.

"Look, I don't know what else to say because I know it's probably a waste, but I want you to know that I still love you. I always have. I never stopped. I love you, Sirius," Summer finished.

"I came here to talk, not to be told you still love me. Yes, I can see you're trying but how far is it going to get you? The thing is, you want Harry to give you a chance, he might not even be able to because by the time we find him, and he's probably going to be dead. Summer, you can try all you want but I don't think it's going to do much anymore. All of this would have worked all those years ago and you want Harry to give you a chance when you're helping keep him with Voldemort. Because of you and all the others, he's probably going to die and now you're saying you want him to give you a chance when because of you he might not be able to," Sirius stood up to face her.

She looked into his eyes then kissed him, slipping something into his pocket.

"What are you doing? Just because you love me doesn't mean I still love you. Goodbye, Summer," Sirius glared at her then walked back to Grimmauld Place, leaving Summer to stare at his retreating back. Sirius walked into the house and got immediately slapped hard across the head.

"What the hell were you doing?" Remus demanded.

"If you didn't notice, that hurt. She wanted to talk so she talked, then I talked, then she kissed me, then I pushed her away, then I left. That help?" Sirius frowned. "Ow! Bloody hell, Remus! Do you have something against my head or what?" he cried as his friend slapped him again.

"You do realize she's a freakin' Death Eater, right? You know, the people keeping our nephew hostage," Remus said.

"Yeah, I noticed. It's not hard to miss, especially if she told you how many years ago," Sirius stated.

"So, just because you get a letter from her you think you should go see her? Sirius, use common sense," Remus replied.

"She wanted to talk so I let her! It's not like I was inviting her over for dinner! I listened but it's not like it changed anything! I still hate her! I still want to kill her and I'm pretty sure she wants to kill us! You think I'm gonna become her best friend just because she talked? She has our godson, our nephew, practically our son! How can I be friends with someone who's helping keep him away from us and is helping his die? She could've killed me right now but she didn't!" Sirius said loudly and angrily. Remus stared at him with a blank look. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow, Remus," Sirius walked up to his room and shut the door. He changed into his pajamas then went to sleep. Remus sighed and went to bed also.


	17. Chapter 17

It was pushing two weeks and everyone was getting frantic. An Order meeting was called at Grimmauld Place and everyone arrive around two.

"As you all know, it has been two weeks that Harry has been missing. The press has gotten the story about the attack on the Ministry and on Harry. Over the past couple weeks, we have been receiving small letters from Harry, proving he is alive. Where he is, we still don't know, but we are continuing to try and find him," Dumbledore told the group. In the living room sat Remus, Sirius, McGonagall, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody. Many were confused at why many of the other Order members didn't show. Sirius and Remus suspected many believed Rita Skeeter about them being Death Eaters.

"How will we find him though? They're obviously well hidden if we haven't found them yet," Bill replied.

"Hopefully we will get something that will lead us to Harry. All we have to do is wait and hope. I'm confident that we'll find him before Voldemort decides he's done with him," Dumbledore said, ignoring it when McGonagall, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley flinched at Voldemort's name.

"Comforting," Remus and Sirius muttered to each other, hiding their grins.

"How long are we willing to wait for this hint to come?" Moody stated.

"As long as it takes," Dumbledore answered.

"What if he doesn't have that kind of time?" Sirius looked at Dumbledore. The others looked between Sirius and the headmaster, waiting for the older wizard to speak.

"I promise we'll get to him before he runs out of time."

"Just like how you promised Hogwarts is the safest place to be? If Death eaters got in, it must not be that safe," Sirius said angrily and walked upstairs. Remus groaned and put his face in his hands.

"Sorry. Please continue, Albus. I'll be right back," Remus told the headmaster. The aging man nodded, his eyes twinkling as Remus went upstairs.

"Sirius, you're doing some pretty ridiculous things lately. You've got to calm down," Remus said as he looked at Sirius, crossed his arms, and leaned against the drawing room wall.

"Can you blame me?" Sirius turned around, putting a picture down.

"Not really, but you talked politely with a Death Eater and stormed out on Dumbledore. Now I've thought of doing some pretty ridiculous things, but nothing like that," Remus raised an eyebrow.

"What were you thinking about doing?" Sirius asked.

"I was going to leave and find Harry myself," Remus shrugged. Sirius grinned and put his hands in his pockets. His smile faltered and he pulled a piece of paper out of his left pocket.

"What's that?" Remus frowned.

"Dunno." Sirius opened it. He stayed quiet and his eyes grew wide. "Moony, look at this," he motioned for his friend who went beside him.

"Oh my God," Remus breathed. They watched as Voldemort cast the Dark Mark onto Harry's forearm while Summer and Lucius held Harry still. They watched with wide eyes as Harry screamed and collapsed to the floor.

"I don't think we have much more time," Sirius looked in Remus' eyes.

"No, we don't have a lot of time. Let's show this to Dumbledore," Remus nodded and they went downstairs. "Sir, excuse me. We need to show you something," Remus told Dumbledore who nodded, since the meeting just ended.

"What is it?"

"Sirius found a postcard from Voldemort in his robes. We think Summer put it there last night when Sirius and Summer were talking," Remus explained, handing the postcard to Dumbledore.

"Oh my. I'm picking up the search. Sirius, you tell your Aurors to do whatever you think will help. I'm going to leave now and get started. I'll talk to you later," Dumbledore answered and Flooed away.

"Let's go," Remus stated and they went to the living room.

"What's going on?" Tonks wondered from her spot on the floor.

"Kingsley, you're the one that's going to help me the most right now. I need you to get all my Aurors here except Sanders, Richards, and Woods because they're on Azkaban duty. Get all the others and bring them here. I want you back by six. Moody, tomorrow's Tuesday of course, so continue teaching. Tonks, go to Kingsley's office and get all my Death Eater files, then go to my office and get all the letters from Harry. I want you back by four. Remus, I know you don't work for me but I want you to bring your werewolf case file here. Everyone go right now. Bill, I need you to bring Percy here. I need to talk with him. Molly and Arthur, I don't think you'll want to be here when I talk to Percy but you can stay if you want. I might not get to him today, so if I don't, I'll send him to his flat and get to him tomorrow. Now, go," Sirius ordered and everyone left to do what they were told. When everyone left, Sirius fell onto the couch.

"Sirius, I'm making you some food. Stay there," Molly smiled, stood up, and went to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Molly."

* * *

><p>"It can't be Percy. He's too perfect and he's a Weasley," Harry shook his head.<p>

"Hasn't he disowned that so-called family of his?" Voldemort smirked.

"Well, yeah, but who cares. I don't believe it's Percy," Harry glared.

Harry had been brought to the room again. At first, Voldemort asked him the usual questions and hit him with the usual curses. Then he explained what had happened with the postcard, making Harry yell and earn a cutting curse on his back. Then he asked Harry if he knew how the Death Eaters got into the Ministry. When Harry said he didn't know, Voldemort sneered and told him about the Death Eaters inside the Ministry. Perfect Percy Weasley.

"Now it seems your godfathers have begun to pick up on the search, same with Dumbledore. It's just to wait to see how far they get," Voldemort said to Harry.

"They'll get farther then you expect them to," Harry smirked.

"Oh, I don't think so because you see, when they get to a certain place in which Severus will lead them, my Death Eaters will attack," Voldemort replied and Harry's eyes grew wide.

"No! Leave them alone! You'll never kill Remus and Sirius," Harry shouted and Voldemort hit him with a cut on his chest.

"That's where you're wrong. I will kill them and I'll kill you too," Voldemort sneered. Harry stared at him and winced as his hands got tied tightly again. He sighed silently as he got dragged and pushed into the original room. When he got pushed down, he fell on his ankle and yelled out, knowing it was badly sprained or broken.

_Be careful, guys. Please__, _Harry silently thought, referring to his uncles.

* * *

><p>It was exactly six o'clock and Kingsley walked through the door with all the Aurors.<p>

"Just in time, mate," Sirius smiled. "Are they all here?"

"Yep. Here, I brought a list of them so you can call their names to be sure they're here," Kingsley handed his boss some paper.

"You sound like Remus," Sirius grinned as Remus and Kingsley rolled their eyes. "All right, I'm going to call each of you and just say 'here' or something. Derek Hill," Sirius began.

"Here."

"Jackson Rogers."

"Here."

"Chris Evans."

"Yeah."

"Jason Dawlish."

"Hey."

"Dawn Miller."

"Here."

"Zack Taylor."

"Here."

"Brad Walker."

"Hey."

"Will Adams."

"Here."

"Nick Parker."

"Yeah."

"Jesse Peterson."

"Yep."

"Sam Porter."

"Yes."

"Jack Sims."

"Yeah."

"And, Peter Andrews."

"Yep."

"Okay, I don't care where you go. Go everywhere you think you might find something. I'm looking for anything that will help us find Harry and the Death Eaters and Voldemort himself. Go and come straight to me if you find anything," Sirius explained, ignoring the gasps and flinching. "Now, there are two…four…five…eight…thirteen of you so pair up. One will have to be a group of three. Go," Sirius added and the Aurors left. Just as Sirius was going to talk again, the door opened and Bill walked in with Percy.

"I demand to know why I have been brought to this sinful place," Percy demanded.

"Percy, why are you talking like you're religious?" Tonks furrowed her eyebrows.

"Just tell me why you have brought me to this horrid place," Percy glared.

"Watch it, Perc. Just go sit in the living room," Sirius pointed at him. Percy glowered at Sirius for a bit then walked into the living room. "Now, Tonks. You got the files and letters I wanted?" he turned to his cousin.

"Yep." They're in my bag. One minute," Tonks answered and opened her bag to get everything.

"Moony, you got the werewolf files?" Sirius asked his friend.

"Yeah, they're right here," Remus held them up. "Where're Arthur and Molly?"

"Well, Arthur had to go to work and after Molly finished cooking for me, she went home to clean up," Sirius told him. "Okay. Kingsley, Tonks, and Remus, come sit at the kitchen table with me," Sirius said and they all took a seat.

"Hey, Kingsley. Help me. I can't get them out. I only got the letters out," Tonks said quietly, making the others chuckle as she handed her bag to Kingsley.

"Oh, hey, Bill! Come on. I'll need you as well," Sirius called to Bill who took the last seat. "Remus, open your files and spread then out in front of you and Bill so you can each see them," Sirius instructed and Remus obeyed.

"Where're you going with this, Sirius?" Bill raised an eyebrow.

"Here, Tonks," Kingsley handed her her stuff back.

"Thanks," she whispered.

"You'll see. With all this we'll get something. Now, can you both see that? Well, the majority of it at least?" Sirius asked Bill and Remus who nodded. "Okay. Tonks, put Harry's letters in the middle of the table then spread out the three files you have so you, me, and Kingsley can see them," Sirius told his two Aurors.

"Okay," Kingsley and Tonks said slowly. They all were frowning as they did what they were told.

"Okay, so as you can see, the Death Eaters are, of course, doing what Voldemort tells them to do. Therefore, killing these random families. They were trying to stir the world up," Sirius stated.

"Which they succeeded in doing," Tonks added.

"Exactly. So since they finished stirring up the world by killing people off random, they decided to take a step forward," Sirius nodded.

"And by that, you mean kidnapping Harry," Bill replied.

"Because then the press would get the story and be all over us, and we would be so busy trying to get rid of the reporters, we wouldn't be able to try find Harry," Remus said.

"But since the papers didn't get the story until now, Voldemort and the Death Eaters got kind of mad. And they're even madder now because they know the reporters aren't bothering us," Kingsley finished the whole assumption.

"Very good. You pay attention more than I do and I'm Head Auror," they rolled their eyes. "Anyways, so there's a reason—" he got cut off when something flew out of the fire. He frowned and went to pick it up. "It's another letter from Harry," Sirius handed the parchment to the others who read the words.

_In third year, Buckbeak, the Hippogriff attacked Draco Malfoy because Malfoy insulted him.__  
><em>

"Okay, so that's…five letters in…two weeks?" Bill said.

"If it's been two weeks, why would Voldemort be keeping him alive?" Tonks asked.

"One, he still wants the information that Harry hasn't given him yet, and two, he probably wants to lure me and Sirius to him so Voldemort can kill the three of us. He's wanted me and Sirius dead since we graduated," Remus answered.

"That's true. With Voldemort and the Death Eaters, we need to find a place they might be. We can already cross one place off. The Riddle House in Little Hangleton," Sirius stated.

"So, where could they be?" Kingsley wondered.

"Don't know yet," Sirius shrugged. "Now the werewolves. We know Greyback and his pack have joined Voldemort. He made that clear at the Ministry. We also know that he used to attack every second month, but now that he's with Voldemort, he's probably going to attack more," Sirius turned to the werewolf files.

"The only thing is that we normally knew when he attacked, just not where. Now we won't know when or where he'll attack," Remus sighed.

"He goes by a pattern usually, doesn't he? For the times he attacks, I mean," Tonks stated.

"Usually, yes, but being with Voldemort might make him kill off random," Sirius nodded.

"Lovely," Bill said sarcastically. So until 10 at night, the group looked through the files until Kingsley called it a night.

"We'll see you tomorrow." Kingsley and Tonks left.

"What about him?" Bill asked, referring to Percy.

"Do you know where he lives?" Sirius wondered.

"Yeah."

"I'm sending him home. Tomorrow at one, bring him back here and I'll talk to him. See you, Bill," Sirius waved at Bill as he went to Apparate. "Percy, go home. Bill is bringing you back here at one." Percy glared at Sirius and Remus then walked outside to Apparate.

"Why do you need to talk to Percy, Padfoot? He has nothing to do with anything that's happening," Remus frowned.

"You'll see tomorrow. Night, Moony. Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Sirius smiled and walked to bed. Remus shook his head and followed suit.

* * *

><p>Harry didn't think he could keep consciousness for much longer. It was the day after his second week in the unknown place and he could feel himself almost going unconscious. Just as he was losing consciousness, the door opened and Malfoy walked it.<p>

"Walk," he muttered as he pulled Harry up. The boy groaned as pain went through his ankle and allowed Malfoy to half-drag him to Voldemort.

"Now, Harry. Your godfathers have gotten Percy Weasley, so he's probably going to Azkaban. I didn't care much for him anyways. Today is also the day that Severus is leading them somewhere. To the Shrieking Shack to be exact," Voldemort said. Harry didn't even look up or anything when the older wizard spoke. "I would have thought you would care, especially since in a couple hours your godfathers will die," Voldemort smirked as Harry lightly raised his head to glare at him.

"You'll never kill them," Harry said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, but I will. Then after they're dead, I'll kill you."

"You'll never kill them," the boy repeated.

"You will lose everything. Even if you get out of the department, get out of here, I'll get you and everyone around. Whether you're here in the DoM or out there with friends," Voldemort stated and Harry stared at him, his eyes wide and filling up with moisture. Harry's eyes grew wide as he thought about what Voldemort had just said. He now knew where he was being held. The DoM, and he knew what that was. The Department of Mysteries…in the Ministry of Magic.

"Now, Harry. Where is the prophecy?" Voldemort began asking the usual questions.

"No," Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry screamed and twisted in pain.

"Where does Dumbledore go?"

"No," Harry said a bit louder, getting hit with a Cutting Curse on the cheek again.

"Who is in the Order?"

"What don't you understand about no?" Harry shouted. Voldemort hit him with another cutting curse.

"Harry, you seem very weak. I don't think you want to refuse me anymore," Voldemort sneered.

"No matter how weak I am, I'll die before I say anything."

"I'm losing my patients, Potter! Tell me about the prophecy!" Voldemort yelled.

"No!" Harry also yelled. He got hit in the back with a cutting curse then with the Cruciatus Curse, leaving him breathless and almost unconscious.

"Take him," Voldemort told Lucius who dragged Harry away. When pushed to the floor, Harry groaned as he felt sick, and then almost immediately fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Percy, if you just tell me what I want to know, this will be easier," Sirius said. It had been half an hour. Sirius, Remus, Percy, and Bill were sitting in the kitchen.<p>

"I can't tell you things I don't know," Percy shot back.

"Where is Harry?" Sirius said loudly.

"I don't know!" Percy yelled.

"You're a Death Eater! You know some stuff about Voldemort, and don't deny being a Death Eater. I can and will prove it," Sirius walked over to Percy and pulled back the sleeve on the right arm, revealing the Dark Mark. Remus and Bill gasped.

"Percy," Bill breathed.

"It's better than being on this side," Percy muttered. "Look, I don't know where Potter is. I've only helped with the Ministry attack. That's all, I swear," Percy looked at them.

"All right. Percy Weasley, you are under arrest for being a known Death Eater and for the Ministry attack," Sirius stated and Percy's face fell. "I'll be right back," he told the others who nodded, still staring with wide eyes and open mouths. When they left, Bill turned to Remus.

"How am I supposed to tell Mum that Sirius just arrested Percy?" Bill remarked.

"Let's put it this way. Sirius is going to die before Harry does because she will never believe that Percy's a Death Eater," Remus answered.

* * *

><p>"Black, what are you doing?" Moody growled after Sirius left Percy in the interrogation room at the Ministry.<p>

"Could ask you the same thing. You're supposed to be teaching at Hogwarts," Sirius responded.

"It's lunch, Sirius. I don't have to be back for another twenty minutes. Now, what are you doing with Weasley?"

"He's the Death Eater that's been in the Ministry. He helped with the attack. He's been a Death Eater for almost a year," Sirius answered.

"It's Percy Weasley! He can't be a Death Eater! He's the perfect Percy Weasley!" Moody growled again.

"Go look at his right forearm then! The Dark Mark is there," Sirius said angrily, pointing at the room Percy was in. Moody glared at him and Sirius watched as the magical eye swivelled around.

"Oh. Sorry, Black. Watch your back though. When Molly finds out you arrested her son, you're dead," Moody grinned with Sirius.

"I'll figure it out. Now get back to Hogwarts," Sirius smiled and Moody went to Floo back to the castle.

"Sirius! What's this I hear about you arresting Percy Weasley?" Tonks called as she walked down the corridor.

"Wow. Things sure spread fast around here," Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Anyways, he's a Death Eater, Tonks. Go check his arm," Sirius said calmly. Tonks frowned then went into the room. A couple seconds later, she came back out and Sirius smirked.

"Ok,ay so he's a Death Eater. Why though?" Tonks wondered.

"Dunno. Gotta talk to him still," Sirius shrugged.

"Molly is going to kill you. I think Harry has a better chance at life then you do right now," Tonks grinned.

"I know. I'll figure it out," Sirius nodded.

"Sirius! Hey, Sirius!" a voice called from Sirius and he turned to see Kingsley.

"Hey, Kingsley. What's going on?"

"Come on. Snape said the Death Eaters were taking Harry to the Shrieking Shack," Kingsley said quickly.

"Let's go. Where are the rest of the Aurors?" Sirius stated.

"They all had gone back to Grimmauld Place and now they're going to the Shrieking Shack. Let's go," Kingsley replied and the three of them left the Ministry.

* * *

><p>"Where's Remus?" Sirius whispered to Kingsley when they arrive in Hogsmeade.<p>

"He's down by the Shack with Peterson, Andrews, and Miller. You go down there with Tonks. I'll be there in a minute. I need to talk with Taylor and Walker., Kingsley told Sirius who walked down the path to the Shrieking Shack.

"Hey, Moony. What's happened? Has anyone gone in?" Sirius asked as he walked up beside his friend.

"Not yet. We were waiting for you to come," Remus shook his head.

"The two of us will go with Kingsley. Kingsley! Come here!" Sirius called for his second-in-command who walked to them.

"What's up?"

"You, Sirius, and I are going in the Shack. We'll be looking around," Remus answered.

"Kay," Kingsley nodded.

"Let's go. Wands out," Sirius led the way into the Shack. "Kingsley, you go down the hall. Remus and I will go upstairs," Sirius instructed.

"Anything, Padfoot?" Remus asked from a room he was in.

"Nope. Let's go check Kingsley," Sirius said.

"I'll finish up here, you go," Remus stated. Sirius nodded and walked down the stairs. It was another ten minutes later when the 3 wizards heard Tonks.

"KINGSLEY! SIRIUS! REMUS! GET OUT HERE!" Tonks screamed and they ran outside to see at least fifteen Death Eaters.

"We were set up," Remus muttered.

"Let's go, everyone!" Sirius called and they all began sending spells.

"_Stupefy_!" Auror Jack Sims fell to the ground unconscious.

"Damn it. _Expelliarmus_!" Kingsley yelled.

"_Crucio_!" Lucius shouted.

"_Impedimenta_!" another Auror yelled.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Bellatrix screamed and Nick Parker fell to the ground dead.

"_Confundo_!" Remus yelled but missed.

"_Stupefy_!" Sirius shouted, hitting a Death Eater.

"_Crucio_!" Summer yelled. Sirius ducked, the curse sailing past his head.

"Are they multiplying? They keep coming," Tonks stated as she sent a stunning curse at Bellatrix.

"The Death Eaters are reviving the ones we stun." Kingsley answered, ducking as a killing curse came at him. "_Conjunctivitis_!"

"_Avada Kedavra_!" the curse hit Will Adams in the chest and Sirius cursed.

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"_Stupefy_!" Snape yelled and the spell hit Remus.

"God damn it already!" Sirius cursed as he knelt beside his friend.

"Sirius. He all right?" Tonks asked, dodging a torture curse.

"Yeah, just a Stunning Spell. We have to get out of here. All the Aurors are either stunned or dead. We have to go," Sirius said and the witch nodded.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Lucius yelled at the same time Bellatrix sent a stunning spell.

"_Protego_!" Sirius shouted when he saw the two different coloured jets of light. Tonks watched as Sirius fell to the ground, not knowing what hit him.

"NO! Kingsley! Come here!" Tonks called for Kingsley who ran over.

"What's up?"

"Remus is stunned. I don't know about Sirius. A killing curse and stunning curse came at the same time. I don't know what hit him," Tonks explained and Kingsley checked. "Oh my God," Tonks said quietly as she looked around.

"He's alive. Just a Stunning Curse. What?" Kingsley also looked up. The Shrieking Shack was on fire and there were only a few other Aurors standing. They ran over and put the fire out, but as soon as it was out, the Shack fell to pieces.

"Well, Hogsmeade doesn't have to worry about a 'haunted' shack anymore," Kingsley sighed as they stared at the ruins.

"Let's revive the stunned and see who's dead," Tonks added and they walked around, calling out the ones who were dead.

"All right, so, Adams, Parker, Miller, Rogers, and Porter are dead. Hill, Evans, Dawlish, Taylor, Walker, Peterson, Sims, and Andrews are all alive, just stunned like Remus and Sirius," Kingsley confirmed.

"We should really revive Remus and Sirius," they walked over.

_"Rennervate_,_" _Tonks muttered as she pointed her wand at Sirius and Remus. Their eyes opened and they sat up.

"Welcome back," Kingsley grinned.

"What happened? After we were out, I mean," Remus asked as they stood.

"Five Aurors are dead, the rest were stunned, we have two stunned Death Eaters. Goyle and Crabbe," Tonks told them.

"Who are the Aurors?" Sirius wondered.

"Adams, Parker, Miller, Rogers, and Porter," Tonks stated.

"Come on. We'll get the Aurors then go back home," Remus replied and they went to get the Aurors who were dead.


	18. Chapter 18

"Unfortunately, all my Death Eaters could do was to stun your godfathers. So they are still alive," Voldemort told Harry that evening.

"Told you," Harry said barely above a whisper.

"So, Harry. I was thinking of sending a letter to your godfathers, along with one last letter from you, but not until tomorrow," Voldemort stated. "I was thinking of giving them an amount of time to rescue you," he added. Harry's breathing became very fast as he listened to Voldemort. The older wizard nodded as Lucius who lead Harry away.

_My last letter_, Harry thought. _Well, if I think like Hermione, then I can do something. I'm in the Department of Mysteries. An anagram. Perfect_, Harry finally thought.

* * *

><p>"Why would Snape have set us up?" Tonks asked.<p>

"He's not trying to help with Harry. He only cares about doing what Voldemort says so he can live. He's never been trying to get Harry back," Remus answered, healing a cut on his arm.

"I thought the four of you were friends?" Kingsley frowned.

"So did we. We, me and Moony, realized that he became friends with us and Harry to get closer to us. So he could help out his master," Sirius replied as he held ice to his aching head.

"Too bad you didn't know that earlier," Tonks sighed and the other two nodded.

"No kidding," Remus nodded.

"Look, it's late. I'm gonna head out. See you all at work tomorrow," Tonks waved then Flooed to her flat.

"Same. See you, boss. You too, Remus," Kingsley went outside and Apparated to his own place.

"It's been almost two and a half weeks, and we've been stupid enough to actually be waiting for Snape to give us hints. Shows how much we pay attention," Sirius said when he turned to Remus.

"Well, we're not waiting for anything anymore. I'm going to bed. Night, Padfoot," Remus patted Sirius' shoulder and walked upstairs.

"Night, Moony," Sirius replied. He stood up and looked at a picture of a laughing ten year old Harry holding Hedwig. "Hang on, kiddo. We're coming," Sirius whispered then went to bed.

* * *

><p><em>"You've failed. You've both caused my one and only son to die. Just like you caused mine and Lily's deaths. I should have never trusted you two with Harry," James said to Remus and Sirius.<em>

_"No, James. We'll get him back. Your death wasn't our fault. We never wanted it to happen," Remus answered._

_"If it wasn't for you two, we would be alive and raising our son," James stated._

_"We've done the best we could. We didn't mean for Harry to get taken," Sirius could feel his eyes watering._

_"You failed," James repeated._

_"I'm sorry," Remus and Sirius apologized._

_"It has all been your fault," James said again._

_"No, we're sorry," Remus sobbed._

* * *

><p>"No, I'm sorry. James, we didn't mean to…AHHHH!" Remus flew up in his bed.<p>

_Perfect. I'm going insane. I'm being blamed for the deaths of my best friends and nephew by my dead friends_, Remus sighed, putting his face in his hands. He sat for a bit then walked across the hall to Harry's room. He sighed as he leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms, and gazed around the empty room.

"You know, I don't think this is good for us," Sirius said, making Remus jump.

"Bloody hell, Sirius! Don't do that!" Remus glowered at Sirius who grinned. "What do you mean?" Remus wondered.

"This while, only sleeping for two to four hours a night," Sirius answered.

"What are you doing up, Padfoot?" Remus asked.

"Odd. I was getting ready to ask you the exact same thing. I was just going to add 'why are you standing in Harry's bedroom door?' So, why are you awake?" Sirius stated.

"Nightmares. They seem to keep coming back now," Remus told him.

"Same. You know, I've been thinking. I don't mean to sound negative, but I don't think we have a good chance at finding Harry," Sirius said quietly.

"I know. I've been thinking that for a few days now," Remus nodded. "But until we find out if he's dead or not, we have to keep looking. He might be holding on. He's strong," he added.

"Yeah. Maybe. See you in the morning," Sirius said slowly then walked to his room.

"See you," Remus sighed and went back to bed.

* * *

><p>"So, I have the letter written. All I need is your note," Voldemort told Harry the next day. He waved his wand and the regular parchment and quill appeared in front of Harry. The boy's arms were released and he picked up the quill. On the parchment he wrote, '<em>See my damn Potter sister<em>.'Very small underneath he added, '_add an "f."'_

He hoped Voldemort wouldn't see it. It had taken him forever to figure it out, always forgetting what letters he had used.

"See my damn Potter sister?" Voldemort read.

"Long story. Between me, Sirius, and Remus," Harry stated.

"Now, Bellatrix. Please send this to Lupin and Black," Voldemort handed Bellatrix an envelope with both letters in it. Harry hoped his guardians would know how to decipher the letter.

"Now that the letter has been sent, I guess you only have three days to live," Voldemort added to Harry, whose eyes grew wide. The older wizard nodded and Harry got dragged out, gasping in pain from his ankle and aching body.

_Oh man_, Harry groaned internally.

* * *

><p>Remus walked down the stairs when he heard an owl hooting loudly.<p>

"Hedwig! If that's you, I'm gonna—whose owl is that?" Remus stated when he saw a pitch black owl with a white dot on its back, and on both its wings. He opened the window and the owl landed on the table. Still frowning at the owl, Remus untied the envelope and the owl flew off. Remus shook his head and opened the envelope, letting two pieces of parchment fall to the table. He picked one up, opened it, and saw it was a letter.

_Sirius Black & Remus Lupin,  
><em>_As you most likely know, I , Lord Voldemort am back. I also want you to know that I have your godson, Harry Potter. I will give you three days to rescue him, if you have not rescued him, he will die. Use your time wisely.  
>-Lord Voldemort<em>

Remus didn't know what to say so he opened the second on, and saw a sentence.

_See my damn Potter sister._

"What?" Remus frowned. "Better get the others," Remus went to the fire, threw in some Floo powder, and stuck his head in.

"Hey, Moony. What's going on?" Sirius turned from his desk.

"I need you to get Kingsley and Tonks and come home. I need to show you something," Remus answered.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sirius asked, looking concerned.

"Just get them and come home," Remus disappeared.

"Taylor! Where's Tonks and Kingsley?" Sirius asked as he walked out of the office.

"Tonks is down the hall with Peterson and Dawlish. Shacklebolt is in his office," Taylor replied and Sirius nodded his thanks. Sirius walked down the hall and stopped when he saw his purple-haired cousin chatting with Jason Dawlish and Jesse Peterson.

"Tonks. Come on! We need to get Kingsley then go to number twelve. Remus has to show us something," Sirius told her and she followed him.

"Do you know what's going on?" Tonks wondered.

"Nope. He called me, told me to get you guys, and go home," Sirius shook his head. They stopped at Kingsley's office and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" they heard Kingsley call.

"Kingsley, you need to come with us. Remus called and said he has to show us something," Sirius said and Kingsley opened the door.

"If you don't mind, I was trying to sleep," Kingsley raised an eyebrow and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Just come on," Sirius stated and walked towards the fire. Kingsley sighed, grabbed his cloak, and followed.

"Finally," Remus said when the three Aurors stepped out of the fireplace.

"Yeah, well, someone was a little too busy sleeping to open the door when I called," Sirius motioned to Kingsley who rolled his eyes.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to get some extra sleep so I don't sleep through the rest of the case," Kingsley crossed his arms.

"Boys," Tonks shook her head and turned to Remus. "So, what did you need to show us?"

"Here. There are two things," Remus handed them Voldemort's letter.

"We have three days? We don't even know where the bloody hell he is!" Sirius cried angrily.

"I know. We did get one other thing. I think it's going to be our last letter from Harry," Remus handed them Harry's letter.

"'_See my damn Potter sister_'? What's that mean?" Tonks frowned.

"Don't know. Harry doesn't have a sister. Neither does James," Remus shrugged.

"Lily does, but she's dead and Lily didn't become a Potter until she married James," Sirius added.

"Did Mrs. Potter have a sister? Or Mr. Potter?" Tonks asked.

"Nope. They were both an only child," Sirius shook his head.

"Only children just run in the Potter family, don't they?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"It has nothing to do with what he wrote about. It's the letters. It's an anagram," Remus stated, looking at the others.

"For what?" Sirius asked.

"Dunno, but when we find out what this says, we'll find Harry," Remus told them.

"Get Hermione. She's staying at the Burrow. We have to go back to work," Sirius told Remus who nodded. "Let's go," the Aurors went to the fire and Flooed to the Ministry. Remus threw in some powder, said the address, and stuck his head in.

"Molly, are the kids here? Molly!" Remus called.

"Remus? That you?" Hermione walked into the living room.

"Hi, Hermione. Is Molly here?" Remus asked.

"She went to Diagon Alley. What's going on?" Hermione frowned.

"Get Ron and Ginny then come to Grimmauld Place. You three are helping me with something. Hurry," Remus said then disappeared.

"Ron! Ginny! Come on!" Hermione called for the others. They walked down the stairs and to Hermione.

"What's up?" Ginny wondered.

"Remus just called. He needs us to help with something," Hermione answered.

"Help with what?" Ron furrowed his eyebrows.

"Dunno. We'll leave in a minute. I just need to write a note for your mum," Hermione grabbed paper and a quill and wrote a note.

_Mrs. Weasley,  
>Gone to Grimmauld Place. Helping Remus with something. Be back soon.<br>-Hermione, Ginny, & Ron_

"Let's go," Hermione said and they Flooed away.

"Remus! We're here!" Ginny said loudly.

"In the kitchen," they heard Remus say and walked to the kitchen. "Thanks for coming. Sit. Want anything to drink?"

"Butterbeer," Ron replied.

"Water," both of the girls said. Remus came back with their drinks and sat down.

"So what's up?" Ron asked, taking a drink.

"We got a letter from Voldemort and Harry. We have three days to find Harry before he dies. The letter from Harry is this," Remus handed them Harry's letter.

"What does it mean?" Ginny wondered.

"It's an anagram. Right?" Hermione stated.

"Yes, and I need you three to help me figure it out. You in?"

"Definitely," they all nodded.

"Okay. Here's parchment, a quill, and ink. Just write the sentence down and try figure it out," Remus conjured the items and they got started.

* * *

><p>"Sirius. Sirius, have you been listening to me at all? Sirius!" Tonks stated.<p>

"What?" Sirius looked away from a picture of Harry and finally looked at his cousin.

Tonks sighed and sat down, shutting the door. "I rest my case. Sirius, maybe you should go home. You're not paying attention to anything here."

"What did you say before?" Sirius asked.

"I said Molly's here. She wants to talk to you. She knows about you arresting Percy," Tonks answered.

"Where is she?"

"Down the hall a little ways. Kingsley's talking with her. If he wasn't, you'd probably be dead right now," Tonks replied.

"Okay. See you later," Sirius stood up and left, leaving Tonks to sigh again and shake her head.

"Sirius Black!" Sirius stopped walking when he heard Mrs. Weasley shriek.

"And so my slow, painful death begins," he muttered and watched as Mrs. Weasley walked quickly over to him. "Hello, Molly," he greeted and glanced at Kingsley to see him raise an eyebrow. He looked back at Mrs. Weasley just as she slapped him in the back of the head.

"I'm guessing you deserved that," Kingsley grinned at Sirius who glared at him.

"How dare you arrest my son? You have no right and no reason! Release him at once!" Mrs. Weasley shouted.

"Molly, I really am sorry for arresting Percy, but I had to. Molly, he's a Death Eater," Sirius told her.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? MY SON? A DEATH EATER?" Mrs. Weasley screamed.

"Molly, I'm sorry, but he is. Come with me. Please," Sirius stated and she followed him through the Ministry. "He's right in here," Sirius pointed at a door and she walked through. He went around a corner and watched through the window. He watched as Mrs. Weasley sobbed and hugged Percy who didn't return it. She spoke to him for a bit then Percy finally rolled up his sleeve. Sirius looked to the floor as Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. He opened the door and walked to Mrs. Weasley. He glared at Percy who smirked, put his arm around the woman, and lead her out of the room.

"I—I—I can't believe it. How—how did this happen? I can't believe it."

"I'm so sorry, Molly," Sirius said quietly.

"Th—thank you, Sirius. I'm sorry I yelled," Mrs. Weasley smiled weakly.

"It's fine."

"I—I think I'll go home to the kids. Bye, Sirius. Thanks again," Molly waved and left the Ministry.

"Nice job with Molly. Don't forget, the rest of the Weasley kids don't know about this besides Bill," Kingsley answered.

"Molly will probably tell them. Besides, Percy like completely disowned the family," Sirius said as they started walking to his office again.

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't ever go back to them," Kingsley pointed out.

"Oh, whatever. By the look of his arm, I don't think he was going to form a family reunion anytime soon," Sirius replied.

"Sirius! You've got a letter. Sanders just dropped it off," Tonks told and gave him the letter. He opened it and saw five words.

_You have sixty-seven hours._

"Sixty-seven hours? It's already been five hours? What time is it?" Sirius stated.

"It's eight-thirty," Tonks answered, looking at her watch.

"Oh hell. We have sixty-seven hours to save Harry or he dies," Sirius groaned and fell into his chair.

"Sirius, write down what Harry wrote," Kingsley told Sirius.

"Why?" Sirius frowned.

"Because like you said. _We_have sixty-seven hours before Harry dies. Write down what Harry wrote. Tonks and I are going to try figure it out. Come on," Kingsley replied and Sirius wrote down Harry's anagram.

"Here. Thanks," Sirius handed it to them.

"No problem. Now go home," Kingsley pointed at his boss.

"What?"

"Go home. You need sleep and maybe help Remus," Kingsley replied.

"Fine. I'll go," Sirius nodded. Tonks and Kingsley smiled then left the office. Sirius sighed and opened a file on the Death Eaters. He picked up a quill and began writing something but stopped when the picture of Remus, Harry, and himself caught his eye. He put his face in his hands as his eyes began to water.

* * *

><p>"Maybe we should stop for the night," Remus stated when Ron's head fell from his hand.<p>

"All right. We'll come back tomorrow. Night, Remus," Hermione answered.

"Good night, kids. Thanks for helping," Remus watched as they Flooed home. He sighed and walked up to his room to go to bed. He stared at a picture on the wall as he walked down the hall. It was a picture of Harry when he was six in Remus' arms and Sirius walked into the picture, ruffling Harry's messy hair. He shook his head and went to bed.

* * *

><p><em>You have forty-six hours. <em>That's what it said.

"Forty-six! Forty-six hours! Are you freakin' kidding? Before we know it, it's going to be twenty-four hours and then one hour and then he'll be dead!" Sirius cried to Kingsley and Tonks, who grimaced slightly under their boss' stare.

"Sirius, did you go home last night?" Tonks asked quietly.

"What does it matter?" Sirius frowned.

"Sirius. Did you go home last night?" Kingsley repeated the witch's question.

"No, I didn't and I only slept for two hours," Sirius replied.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself. You and Remus. It's been two and a half weeks and neither of you have slept more than four hours a night," Kingsley stated.

"Look, both of you. If that was your kid, adopted or not, would you go to bed each night and sleep until noon?" Sirius looked at them. They stayed silent for a bit before shaking their heads. "Exactly. Harry is more than a godson or nephew to me. He's like my son. It's the same with Remus. Without Harry, the both of us wouldn't be who we are. That boy changed our lives more than having each other back, and we're not stopping until we get him back, with or without sleep," Sirius stated, still staring the two Aurors down. Kingsley patted Sirius' shoulder then left with Tonks behind him.

_Harry, we're trying. Please hold on_, Sirius sighed.

* * *

><p>"Anything yet?" Remus asked the kids after two hours. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had gone to Grimmauld Place at one and it was already three.<p>

"Nope."

"Nothing."

"No."

"Okay, well, let's keep trying," Remus stated. They kept at it for another three and a half hours before Remus stopped them again. "Well, it's six-thirty. You should head home. Molly's probably waiting. See you tomorrow," Remus told them, looking at the clock.

"Bye, Remus," the kids stated and once again Flooed home.

_Tomorrow._ _The last chance to ever see Harry again_, Remus thought and stared out the window at the setting sun, remembering the last sunset he had watched with Harry.  
><em><br>Flashback__  
>"Remus, hurry up. You're gonna miss it," Harry called for his uncle.<em>

_"I'm coming. Calm down," Remus grinned as he walked onto the porch and sat with Harry in the bench. He put his arm around the boy, making him move closer to the older wizard._

_"I wish Sirius was here," Harry stated as they watched the sun slowly disappear._

_"Me too. I know you miss him. Especially since he hasn't written to you in a few weeks. He's really busy," Remus answered._

_"Yeah. Remember when I was little, a year after we came here, I would wake you and Sirius up every morning at five to see the sunrise?" Harry replied._

_"I think we all remember that. Sirius and I got so tired from getting up so early," Remus smiled as Harry laughed. They fell into silence as they watched as more of the orange sun disappeared behind the trees and mountains. Remus felt Harry shiver a bit and looked at him. "Cold?"_

_"A little."_

_"Here," Remus handed Harry his sweater._

_"Thanks. When was the last time Sirius was here to see a sunset with us?" Harry asked._

_"Dunno. Month, month and a half ago. It's been a while, but he does want to be here to watch them with you," Remus told him._

_"I know. I remember every time a sunset or sunrise would finish, Sirius would chase me around the yard then bring me in the house," Harry recalled and Remus chuckled._

_"Don't worry. He'll make it here for one soon," Remus smiled at Harry. They watched as the sun sunk behind the mountains, bringing its rays of light with it._

_End of Flashback_

Remus sighed as the golden sun disappeared behind all the houses. _We're coming. You'll see another sunset_, Remus thought and went back to the anagram.

* * *

><p>It was ten-thirty the next morning when the four word letter came.<p>

_Seventeen hours. Tick Tock._

"What time do we have 'till?" Sirius asked after reading the letter.

"How much time do we have?" Tonks wondered.

"Seventeen hours. I need to know what time it'll be in seventeen hours," Sirius replied.

"Three-thirty, boss. It'll be three-thirty a.m.," Kingsley told him.

"Three-thirty…three-thirty…three-thirty…seventeen hours," Sirius muttered. Kingsley and Tonks looked at him curiously. "I need to tell Remus," he picked up the mirror. "Remus Lupin."

"Hi, Sirius. I'm kind of busy," Remus stated.

"Moony, hurry up with that anagram. We have seventeen hours left. We have until three-thirty a.m.," Sirius told him.

"We're working on it. I'll call if we get anything," Remus answered and Sirius' mirror went blank.

* * *

><p>"All right. We need to figure this thing out. We have seventeen hours. We have until three-thirty a.m.," Remus told the teenagers.<p>

"But this doesn't spell anything. We've been trying to two days now. We've only got the word 'department'," Ron sighed.

"I know, but we have to keep trying. It's Harry. He's your best friend, your boyfriend, and mine and Sirius' nephew. He's going to die if we don't get to him," Remus looked at them and they looked to the table.

"It's ten forty-five right now. We have lots of time. We'll keep trying," Hermione said and they went back to the anagram.

* * *

><p><em>Fourteen hours. Almost.<em>

* * *

><p>Harry knew he was dying. Over the past couple days, Voldemort had continuously hit him with torture curses and cutting curses, one of which hit his neck. He knew it hadn't hit an artery or his windpipe because he would have been dead. It had just missed an artery but he knew he was still dying. Harry was starting to be scared of sleeping, afraid he wouldn't wake up. He knew there were only a few hours before he got killed. He had stopped thinking about his anagram, knowing his guardians most likely couldn't figure it out.<p>

* * *

><p>"We're running out of time. Quickly," Sirius stated as he paced his office, Harry's anagram stuck in his head.<p>

"You worry me, Sirius. You really do," Bill Weasley sighed as he watched Sirius. Bill had dropped in after checking in at Grimmauld Place.

"Yeah, well, I have good reason to," Sirius said and Bill raised an eyebrow. "We have fourteen hours to save Harry before he dies. I have good reason to worry. You have good reason to worry. Everyone does!" Sirius cried and Bill stared at him.

"Sirius, stay here. That's a pointless thing to say," Bill said more to himself and Sirius glared at him. "I'll be right back…with help," he added quietly to himself. He walked down the corridor then knocked on Kingsley's door.

"Yeah?" Kingsley called.

"Kingsley, I think Sirius is losing his mind. Same with Remus and the kids helping him," Bill said through the door.

"What's new?" Kingsley stated.

"I mean, literally. They're all going insane," Bill replied.

"Bill, we're kind of busy. Go talk to Sirius or your dad or something," Kingsley answered. Bill groaned and left. He went back to Sirius' office and opened the door to see Sirius pacing and muttering.

"I'm not going to bother," Bill sighed, shut the door, and walked away.

* * *

><p>It had been another three hours and Remus and the kids still didn't have anything.<p>

"Still only the word 'department'," Ron stated.

"I've only found small words like 'it' and 'on'," Ginny sighed.

"Only 'department'," Hermione shrugged.

"This has to spell out something. It has to," Remus said, frustrated.

"We'll get it. We're not gonna stop," Ginny said.

"Thanks," Remus smiled.

"We want Harry back too and we can't find him unless we try," Hermione added. Remus smiled at them and they went back to the anagram, sipping their drinks as well.

* * *

><p><em>Eleven hours. Time's running out.<em>

* * *

><p>Everyone was going crazy, what with having only eleven hours to save Harry. Sirius, Kingsley, Tonks, Remus, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were all busy trying to figure out the anagram. No one knew what to do. They only knew they had to figure out the anagram. Others that were around, sometimes stopped and watched them, not knowing what to do or say to them. They would watch for a bit then leave.<p>

Everyone knew about Harry's disappearance, of course, and knew what was going on. Even though the Ministry was really busy, it seemed quiet. Everyone assumed that it was maybe because you didn't hear Sirius laughing and chatting it up with Tonks, Remus, and Kingsley, or you didn't hear Sirius ordering his Aurors around or pretending to fire Kingsley. It seemed to have a depressing essence though there were many people who weren't depressed. No one knew what to do with Sirius, Kingsley, and Tonks so they didn't try.

* * *

><p><em>Five hours. Better hurry.<em>

* * *

><p>They were tired. So was he, but they wouldn't stop though he had asked them to. There were five hours left which made it ten-thirty. Remus had asked and told the kids to go home and sleep, but they kept refusing. They had been trying to figure out the anagram for six and a half hours and they kept coming back to the word 'department.'<p>

The depressing essence was just as bad at Grimmauld Place as it was at the Ministry. They house seemed to have gotten darker…blacker…sadder. They hardly talked unless saying if they found anything or not. It was quiet. You didn't hear Remus helping Harry with his homework or Harry laughing as he listened to Sirius not Remus and Sirius getting in trouble. You didn't hear Harry, Ron, and Hermione running around, laughing and chatting.

* * *

><p><em>One hour. It's almost time.<em>


	19. Chapter 19

"It's two-thirty? Already? Damn it!" Sirius yelled.

"We're running out of time. We still don't know the anagram," Tonks said sadly.

"I don't know what to do. I really don't," Sirius shook his head, sitting down.

"Neither do we," Kingsley added.

"Well, we have an hour. I guess we just keep trying the anagram," Sirius sighed and Kingsley and Tonks left. Sirius looked at the pictures on his desk and put them face down so the picture wasn't showing.

_We tried. We don't know where you are, Harry. Sorry. Remus and I still love you__, _Sirius thought then started to lightly cry.

* * *

><p><em>Thirty minutes. He's going to die.<em>

* * *

><p>"We have half an hour! We still only have 'department'," Ron cried.<p>

"Can I see Harry's last letter? The anagram," Hermione stated and Remus handed it to her. She brought it close to her eyes and squinted them. "Enlarge it," she said.

"Why?" Ginny asked.

"Enlarge it," Hermione repeated.

Remus took the letter and took his want out. "_Engorgio_," he muttered and the parchment grew.

"Look. Under the anagram," Hermione pointed to it.

"'Add an 'f''. There's another letter we can use," Ginny read.

"Exactly. This might help us finish the anagram," Hermione nodded.

"Let's do it," Ron grinned and they went back to work.

* * *

><p>"We have to figure this out. We have thirty minutes," Tonks said to Kingsley.<p>

"I know. All we have is 'mysteries' though. That doesn't do us any good," Kingsley sighed.

"Maybe Remus and the kids have something," Tonks suggested.

"They would have called or something to tell us."

"What if they only had one word like us?" Tonks asked.

"Dunno. They might not then," Kingsley shrugged as he spoke.

"Well, why don't we sneak out of here and go check out what they have? Sirius will probably be in his office with the door shut, so we'll have a good shot at getting out of here," Tonks stated.

"And if we get caught?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"Just say we're going on a break and will be back soon," Tonks answered.

"Let's go," they stood and walked to the fireplace to Floo to number twelve. When they climbed out of the fire, Remus, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny didn't seem to realize they had arrived.

"Uh, hello," Tonks said slowly.

"Oh, hey. Sorry, busy," Remus stated, still looking at his paper.

"Oh hell, we have fifteen minutes," Ron groaned, looking at the clock.

"Guys, we can't talk right now. Sorry," Remus told the two Aurors who raised their eyebrows.

"We might have something that will help," Kingsley stated and they all stared at him.

"What do you mean?" Hermione said. Tonks took out the parchment and handed it to them.

"Mysteries? How is this supposed to help?" Ron frowned.

"Ten minutes, you guys," Ginny replied and they all glanced at the clock.

"Anyways, this is from Harry's anagram," Tonks told them. As they all were talking, Hermione was still frantically trying to decipher the anagram.

"Please tell me your clock is broken," Ginny said to Remus.

"No, it works fine."

"Well, that means we have five minutes," Ginny cried.

"Damn it!" Remus yelled.

"I've got it!" Hermione jumped up and everyone whipped around. "He's in the Department of Mysteries," she told Remus who grabbed his clock and ran outside . They heard a _pop_and glanced at each other.

"Ministry," they said at once and Flooed.

* * *

><p>"Sirius! Sirius!" Remus called as he ran through the Ministry. He stopped a passing Auror. "Taylor, where's Sirius?"<p>

"Office," Zack Taylor said quickly and Remus ran off.

"Sirius! We have to go!" Remus yelled.

"Why?"

"Because we have four minutes to save Harry!"

"We don't know where he is."

"Yes, we do," Sirius flung the door open.

"What?"

"He's in the Department of Mysteries."

"Well, let's go."

"Where are you two going?" Kingsley asked. He, Tonks, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were all breathless from running through the Ministry.

"We're going to get our nephew, if you don't mind," Sirius answered.

"One, you'll never make it in time. Two, you'll die if you do, and three, only Unspeakables are allowed in that place," Kingsley listed.

"You think we give a damn? We'll make it, and if we all die, at least Harry and everyone knows we dies trying to save him! And the hell with only Unspeakables going down there! If I have to, I'll blow apart the Ministry! Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a teenager to save," Sirius yelled then he and Remus pushed past the group. "How much time?" Sirius asked as they ran through the Ministry.

"Three minutes. We might not make it. The Department of Mysteries is huge, it'll be hard to find him," Remus stated.

"We'll find him," Sirius said and they ran towards the door that led to the Department of Mysteries.

"I'm sorry, but unless you are an Unspeakable you may not enter this department," a man said at the door.

"We have three minutes. We have to get in there!" Remus said impatiently.

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, but since the two of you are not Unspeakables I cannot allow you to enter this department," the man told them.

"_Stupefy_. Let's go," Sirius stunned the man.

"Sirius, you could lose your job for that," Remus stated as Sirius went to the door.

"Right now, I don't really care. I care about seeing Harry alive," Sirius answered. "_Alohomora_," the Head Auror listened as at least a dozen locks clicked. He pushed the door open. "Come on," they slipped through the door and closed it. They jumped as the door slammed shut and locked, leaving them in darkness.

"Uncalled for," Remus muttered. "_Lumos_," both wands lit up.

"How much time?" Sirius wondered.

"One minute and thirty seconds," Remus replied.

"We've gotta move," Sirius said and they began running again, clueless at where they were going.

* * *

><p>"Well, Harry. Looks like your godfathers aren't coming," Voldemort smirked at the teenager before him.<p>

"Good hunch," Harry muttered and got kicked in the face.

"We still have forty seconds. Last chance. What does the prophecy say?" Voldemort said.

"No," Harry growled.

"Very well. We have thirty seconds left," Voldemort sat back and took out his wand.

_Bye, everyone. I know you all tried__, _Harry sighed.

* * *

><p>"Padfoot, twenty seconds! We're not gonna make it!" Remus cried.<p>

"The hell we won't!" Sirius said angrily and they ran through a door. At first, all was dark except the small wand lights, then a torch lit up and they saw everything. Death Eaters crowded around a kneeling boy, and Voldemort sitting in a chair, holding his wand.

"Time's up, Harry. They're not here so your time is over," Voldemort stood and pointed his wand at Harry who stared at it.

"No!" Sirius yelled and ran to Harry.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" there was a flash of green that filled the room. Everyone shielded their eyes from the light. When the light disappeared, they saw Sirius looking down on Harry who was on the ground, his eyes closed.


	20. Chapter 20

"Harry. Come on, kiddo. Stay with us," Sirius whispered.

"Too late, Black. You and Lupin didn't make it. It's your fault. I gave you time but you didn't come. No one's to blame but yourselves," Voldemort sneered and Sirius stood, Remus going to his side.

"You're the one that killed him. You let him die. It's your fault," Sirius glared.

"Maybe. If you'll excuse me, I have to go but my Death Eaters are staying for a bit," Voldemort smirked then disappeared.

"Look at it this way. At least you tried," Summer said to Remus and Sirius.

"Back off, Summer," Remus growled and she shrugged.

"We can easily arrange for you two to see your precious Potter family again," Lucius answered and they stared him. Bellatrix took a step towards Harry and Sirius pulled his wand on her.

"Don't even try," Sirius said. Just then a jet of red light sailed past Remus' head.

"_Stupefy_!" Remus sent the curse at Summer but missed.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Lucius yelled.

"_Conjunctivitis_!" Sirius shouted.

"_Crucio_!"

"_Protego_!"

"_Reducto_!"

"_Incarcerous_!"

"_Sectumsempra_!"

"Summer, why are you doing this? You're supporting and helping the people who just killed your godson," Sirius said.

"Sirius, I know you don't care about that. _Avada Kedavra_!"

"_Protego_! How can you keep helping them? They just killed Harry," Sirius frowned.

"Stop it, Sirius. I know you don't give a damn about my answers. _Stupefy_!""

"_Expelliarmus_!"

"Give it up, Lupin. You're fighting for people who are dead. _Reducto_!" Lucius said.

"They're all dead because of you and your master. _Confundo_!"

"Why are you bothering to fight for the dead? It's pointless. _Crucio_!" Bellatrix added.

"I don't know. I guess I want the killers to die too. _Expelliarmus_!"

"You two are going to die before we do. _Avada Kedavra_!"

"_Protego_!"

"_Stupefy_!" the Death Eater, Nott, fell unconscious. The battle seemed to go on forever, though it was only a few minutes. Another Death Eater got stunned while Remus and Sirius both got hit with cutting curses.

"See you later. I had fun," Summer grinned and disappeared with the others in a flash of light like Voldemort had.

"He's not breathing. Moony, he's not breathing," Sirius cried as they fell beside Harry.

"He's not dead. He has a pulse. It's very, very faint but it's there. He's alive," Remus said as he felt Harry's neck. They rolled Harry over so Remus could cut the ropes and saw the boy's sliced up back.

"Oh my God."

"Sirius, we have to get him to the hospital. He may be alive but he's dying…quickly," Remus told his friend who looked at him.

"St. Mungo's. They got it rebuilt finally," Sirius stated. Remus lit his wand as Sirius lifted Harry who was very light for his age. "Let's go," Remus led the way back through the Department of Mysteries and to the door they came through.

"It's locked. '_Alohomora' _won't work," Remus replied.

"Blow it off," Sirius said.

"What?"

"Blow it open with '_Bombarda',_" Remus stared at his friend, then at Harry, and then went back to the door.

_"Bombarda!" _Remus shouted and the door blew up with the wall, leaving a gaping hole. They went through the Ministry, ignoring everyone they passed.

"How are we getting there?" Sirius asked.

"Apparation," Remus said simply and they went outside. They went to the spot where they could Apparate and disappeared.

* * *

><p>When Remus and Sirius got to St. Mungo's, they ran to the reception desk.<p>

"How may I help you?" the reception witch said politely.

"Please help us. Our nephew is dying quickly. Please help," Remus said quickly and the witch glanced at Harry.

"Oh my! One moment," the witch turned around and spoke into what looked like a muggle microphone. Her voice echoed through the hospital as she called for people to help with Harry. In a couple seconds, about five Healers came with a levitated bed and they placed Harry on it. "I'm sorry, but you have to wait here. You can't go with them," the witch told them.

"But—" Sirius started.

"Come on, Sirius," Remus took his friend's arm and brought him to the waiting room. There were only a couple other people. An older man and a woman who looked about her mid-twenties. Sirius and Remus sat down silently. Neither spoke. They just sat, immersed in their own thoughts. It seemed to take hours even though it had only been an hour and a half. While they were waiting, Kingsley, Tonks, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione dropped by.

"How is he?" Kingsley asked as they all sat down.

"Don't know. They haven't come out yet and it's almost been 2 hours. He was in really bad shape. He's been through a lot," Remus told them.

"So what happened? We tried to get through but the door wouldn't open and the guard had woken up," Tonks stated.

"When we got to where they all were, Voldemort was talking to Harry. He pointed his wand at Harry and just as he sent the Killing Curse, Sirius jumped in front with Harry. The green light filled the room and you couldn't see, but when it cleared we saw Harry on the ground with his eyes shut and Sirius was looking at him. Then Voldemort started saying how it was our fault because he gave us time and we didn't make it. He left, we fought the Death Eaters, they left, and then we got Harry and came here," Remus told them.

"After blowing apart the wall," Ron added and Remus grinned.

"The door was locked and '_Alohomora_' wouldn't work. Sirius told me to," Remus shrugged.

"Wait, you and Harry got hit with the Killing Curse, right?" Tonks wondered.

"Yeah," Sirius nodded.

"Why aren't the two of you dead?" she frowned.

"Thanks," Sirius said sarcastically.

"She has a point. Why aren't you dead? I saw the curse hit you," Remus replied.

"I love how everyone's wondering why I'm not dead instead of saying how happy they are I'm still alive," Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Thankfully, you're alive. Now why aren't you dead?" Kingsley stated.

"Yeah, that's what I meant," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Anyways, when I got to Harry, I did a non-verbal Shielding Spell before the curse hit us. Maybe Harry got hit with a bit of the curse or something," he told them.

"Oh, well, at least you have some brain when the occasion calls for it," Kingsley grinned and Sirius glared.

"Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black," a Healer said and they stood.

"Yes?"

"Your nephew is alive. We were having trouble at first, but he is now in stable condition. He went into a coma for about fifteen minutes then came out. He's all right. He's asleep right now. You're lucky. Any later and Mr. Potter wouldn't be here anymore. You can go see him. Down the hall, third door on the left," the Healer explained.

"Thank you. Come on, Sirius," Remus smiled and they started down the hall.

"Excuse me! I'm sorry, I have to ask this. We weren't able to figure out what happened exactly. What happened to him?" she asked.

"He got kidnapped by Voldemort. If you didn't notice, you have Harry Potter in your room," Remus answered and they went to Harry's room.

* * *

><p>Remus and Sirius opened the door and walked in the room. Their faces fell when they saw Harry's state, but also lit up to finally see him again.<p>

"Look at him. I can't even imagine how much pain he must have been in," Sirius said as they sat on either sides of the bed.

"He had to get stitches for the cuts on his cheek. They must have been bad," Remus pointed to the sleeping boy's cheek.

"He does look much better than when we found him," Sirius sighed. They fell into silence as Sirius slowly rubbed Harry's arm while Remus stroked the boy's black hair.

"Can we come in?" Tonks asked quietly from the door.

"I don't know about the kids. If they can handle seeing Harry like this, then they can," Remus stated.

"They've seen him like this before, haven't they?" Sirius replied.

"Only in their first year after Harry fought Quirrell or Voldemort who whoever it was and it wasn't as bad," Remus answered.

"Well, come in, but we will warn you that it will be a shock," Sirius told them and Tonks, Kingsley, Hermione, and Ron walked in. When the kids saw Harry, they gasped and tears filled Hermione's eyes.

"Where's Ginny?" Remus wondered when he didn't see the other red-head.

"In the waiting room. She said she couldn't see him. She said she'll come in if she feels she can," Tonks remarked.

"Do you know what happened?" Kingsley asked.

"Not yet. Just that he had to get stitches on his cheek," Sirius stated.

"Who all know that you found Harry?" Ron looked at Remus and Sirius.

"Only us and Ginny. We're going to wait for a bit before telling anyone. Except Dumbledore," Remus replied.

"Hopefully the _Prophet_doesn't find out," Tonks said.

"They shouldn't yet. They might when Harry wakes up," Sirius said.

"When is he supposed to wake up?" Hermione asked.

"Couple days. They said that before he wakes up, he might fall in and out of comas," Remus answered.

"Is that a bad thing?" Ron frowned.

"Yes. Some people, wizard and Muggle, who have fallen into comas and never woke up. But they said Harry should always come out," Remus nodded. They all stayed for twenty minutes then decided to leave. Ginny had never gone to see Harry and they all thought it might be a good thing. After Kingsley and Tonks left with the kids, a Healer came it.

"Hello. I'm Rachel. How are you two doing?" the Healer said.

"We've been better," Sirius sighed.

"I'm sure all three of you have been," Rachel smiled. "So, I'm assuming you two are wondering what exactly happened to Mr. Potter, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, he had severe cuts on his chest, back, and cheek. He also had a cut very close to an artery on his neck. He had a sprained ankle, five broken ribs, cuts on his wrists, bad bruising on the face and everywhere else, dehydrated, malnourished, and he had been held under the Cruciatus Curse multiple times. We also saw something on his arm that I think you'll want to see in time. For a while, he will have to be given a Pain-Free Potion," Rachel explained. "How long has Mr. Potter been missing?" she added.

"Two and a half weeks," Remus answered.

"Quite some time. Have you ever been apart for that long before?" she asked, writing something down.

"Only when he's at school but we always talk. This is the longest we've been apart without talking," Remus told her.

"He'll be happy to be back then. Besides now, has he ever been physically abused or even verbally?" Rachel wondered.

"Before we got him. When he was at his uncle's. That was until he was five. After that, he's never been abused," Sirius said.

"All right. What about any sexual abuse?" she asked again and they frowned slightly.

"At his uncle's only. When he was three," Remus answered slowly.

"Does he drink, smoke, do drugs? I know, these sound like Muggle things but his first guardians were Muggles, right?" she smiled.

"Yes, they were, and no, he doesn't do any of those," Sirius furrowed his eyebrows with Remus.

"Has he ever been attacked by any creatures?"

"You mean werewolves or hippogriffs?" Sirius asked.

"Yes."

"He's been attacked by a three-headed dog, a Basilisk, Dementors, a werewolf, and I think that's all," Remus said. Sirius and Remus looked at each other then back at Rachel, confused.

"…a werewolf. All right. Is he in any way associated with the Dark Side?" Rachel asked once again.

"No, of course not!" Sirius exclaimed.

"I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable, but I am required to ask," Rachel stated.

"We understand but these questions have nothing to do with what happened," Remus replied.

"I know, but I have to ask in case some of his injuries came from something else other than this incident," she told them. "I think I have everything. Just to remind you not to worry if he goes into a coma and he might get nightmares while he's asleep. He may thrash around and scream but he won't wake up, so don't be alarmed if it happens. I'll be back later," Rachel added.

"Thank you but we'll be fine. It's happened at home as well," Remus said and the Healer left.

"I want a different Healer," Sirius stated and Remus nodded.

"So do I, but she's the one with all the information. She's the one who's been assigned to Harry," Remus shrugged as they turned back to Harry who sighed in his sleep.

"I hope he wakes up soon. I want to hear his voice again," Sirius sighed. Remus didn't answer, instead they fell into another comfortable silence.

* * *

><p>The next day, Sirius and Remus decided to talk to Dumbledore, but not before they saw the <em>Daily Prophet<em>. Somehow reporters, including Rita Skeeter, had found out Harry had been found.

_Boy Who Lived Found!__  
><em>_Just last night, Mr. Harry Potter was found. Mr. Remus Lupin and Mr. Sirius Black were seen bringing Mr. Potter out of the Ministry of Magic. He seemed not to be breathing and there has been no information coming from St. Mungo's Hospital. It's hard to say this, but our own Harry Potter is dead. All because Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black decided to hand him over to the Dark Lord. Now our saviour of the wizarding world is gone._

"Let's go see Dumbledore," Remus sighed after they finished reading.

"Can't he come here instead?" Sirius stated sounding like a child. Now that they finally had Harry back, neither Sirius nor Remus wanted to leave his side.

"Come on. It'll only be for a little bit," Remus said and they walked to the door. They stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the sleeping boy. Remus lightly pulled Sirius by the arm out of the room and to a fireplace to Floo.

* * *

><p>When they climbed out of the fire, Dumbledore motioned for them to sit.<p>

"Now, I hope you two are here to explain the article I read in the paper today," the headmaster smiled as Remus and Sirius blushed.

"Harry's not dead, sir. He's alive. He's in St. Mungo's right now. He's been asleep for the last couple days," Remus answered.

"Good. I was going to go down to the hospital to see for myself. So how do you feel now that you finally have your boy back?"

"It's great. Just having him there, just seeing him again is brilliant," Sirius grinned.

"It's hard to leave him now. We almost were going to call you to come to the hospital so we wouldn't have to leave him," Remus added.

"If you want, we can go to the hospital so you can stay with Harry. I know it won't be easy to part with him after what happened," Dumbledore stated. "Besides, if you're not with Harry, I don't think the two of you will be able to focus," he added.

"Thank you, sir," Sirius smiled and they Flooed back to the hospital, and up to Harry's room. Sirius and Remus took their seats beside the bed and Dumbledore conjured his own chair.

"Now, I have heard that it was Miss Granger who figured out that Harry's anagram spelt the Department of Mysteries. I've also heard that she was the one to see Harry's hint about adding the letter 'f'," Dumbledore began.

"Yes, sir," Remus nodded.

"So what happened to him?" Dumbledore asked.

"Sprained ankle, severe cuts on his chest, back, and cheek, a cut on his neck near an artery, major bruises on his face, bruises everywhere, cuts on his wrists, and five broken ribs. He's been under the Cruciatus Curse multiple times," Sirius told him. They had completely forgotten about how Rachel had said there was something on Harry's arm.

"My, he must have been fighting hard, to stay alive after and during all that," Dumbledore shook his head sadly.

"He might have nightmares now. We don't know if we should just keep giving him Dreamless Sleep Potions until the dreams pass or if we should just let them happen," Remus shrugged.

"I'm not sure. We'll see how bad they are. Hopefully, you can all return home soon," Dumbledore smiled.

"What's going on with exams for the kids who missed them?" Remus wondered.

"When they come back, they will do their exams," Dumbledore replied.

"Thank you, sir."

"I suppose Molly and many others will be here after seeing the paper. I'll get back to Hogwarts and I hope Harry wakes up soon," Dumbledore went to the fire and Flooed away.

"Moony, he's moving," Sirius stated when Harry moved a little.

"Good, he should wake up tomorrow. Hopefully. He might even wake up tonight," Remus smiled, stroking the boy's hair again.

"What about Molly? She'll go insane when she sees Harry," Sirius said.

"Kingsley, Tonks, and the kids are the only ones who can see him now. We'll wait until he's awake to let anyone else see him, but we'll only let a couple people in at a time. It might be too much for Harry if there're too many people," Remus told him. Sirius nodded.

"What if he doesn't wake up?" Sirius said and Remus looked at him.

"He'll wake up. Rachel said he's on heavy sleeping and Pain Reliever Potions. He'll be awake soon," Remus answered.

"I hope so. I'm just glad we got him back. I was so afraid we would never see him again," Sirius sighed, moving some hair from Harry's closed eyes.

"Same, but we got him and soon we can go back home," Remus smiled with Sirius and they turned their gazes back to the sleeping teen.

* * *

><p>Harry groaned quietly as his eyes opened, letting sunlight shine in them. He slowly brought a hand to his cheek to feel his cut was closed, same with the cut on his neck. He looked at his arms and wrists to see the cuts and bruises were gone. He moved his foot and realized his ankle was sprained anymore.<p>

_Where am I? I can't remember the last couple days__, _Harry thought as he looked around. _Am I in a hospital? But Remus and Sirius didn't make it. I'm dead._

His thoughts stopped when heard a door open and heard footsteps.

"Harry? You're awake! Thank God," a familiar voice said. Harry slowly turned his head to the door and realized who was there.

"Remus?" his voice came out in a whisper but Remus still heard him. Remus walked over, sat on the bed, and hugged Harry tightly. "Where's Sirius?"

"Right. Sirius is in the hall talking with the Weasleys and Hermione. I'll get him," Remus answered.

_I am in the hospital. Thank God__, _Harry leaned back and smiled to himself.

"Hey, kiddo. Thank god. We were so worried," Sirius hugged Harry who returned it.

"I didn't think you were coming," Harry's muffled voice said and the older wizards smiled softly at him.

"We are so sorry," Sirius kissed the top of Harry's head.

"We tried so hard to figure out your anagram. At first we didn't see the hint to add an 'f.' Hermione saw it. We're really sorry, pup," Remus answered and kissed the side of Harry's head. Just then they saw Harry's shoulder begin to shake and realized he had begun to cry.

"What's wrong, kiddo? Harry?" Sirius frowned.

"I was so scared. It hurt so much," Harry stated quietly. Remus and Sirius looked at him sadly.

"We know. We're so sorry we didn't come earlier. It's all right. You're home now," Remus rubbed the boy's back.

"I didn't think I would ever see you again," Harry sobbed.

"We didn't think we would see you either," Sirius whispered. They all fell silent for a bit as Sirius held Harry and Remus rubbed the boy's back. They stayed like that until the older wizards noticed Harry had fallen asleep again. They laid him down then went back to walk with the Weasleys and Hermione.


	21. Chapter 21

"What's going on? What's wrong? Is he okay?" Mrs. Weasley asked quickly, looking worried.

"Harry was awake, he's asleep now. A couple people can go in at once. Molly and Arthur can go first," Remus said calmly. Sirius lead them to the room, opened the door, they walked in, and he went to the waiting room with the others. After about ten minutes, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came out, then Bill and Ron went in. After was Fred and George, then Hermione went in with Ginny, who had decided to see Harry.

"Look at him. He doesn't deserve this," Ginny stated, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"He'll be all right. The Healers said he'll be fine," Hermione replied and Ginny nodded. They were quiet for a bit while Ginny held Harry's hand. Suddenly she looked up, looking fearful and Hermione frowned. "What is it?"

"He's sweating. Oh my God! What's going on?" Ginny cried as Harry began thrashing around. Hermione ran to the door and opened it.

"Remus! Sirius! Help! It's Harry!" she called and Sirius and Remus ran to the room, everyone else following. Bill ran to Ginny who had fallen to her knees and was crying heavily. He hugged her as the others stared, wide-eyed, at Harry. Sirius and Remus held Harry down to prevent injury to any of them as they tried to wake him.

"Get her out of here!" Remus shouted, referring to Ginny who was still sobbing. "Get Ginny out! All the kids, out!" Bill nodded when Remus looked at him and he led Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George out of the room.

"Healer! Get a Healer! Healer!" Sirius yelled. Then six Healers ran into the room and over to Harry. Five of them held the teen down as the other waved her wand over Harry. "What happened?" Sirius asked when Harry went still and a Healer walked to them.

"Nightmare. We've never seen such a reaction especially from a kid. We're not sure what to do. We should know by tomorrow. He'll sleep for maybe half an hour to an hour. When he wakes up, keep him lying down, he might damage his ribs. Even though we healed them, it'll be a couple days before they're healed enough for him to move around normally. We'll come back to see how he's doing later," the Healer explained then they all left the room. Sirius and Remus walked over to Harry and looked into his pale face. Sirius moved some hair and felt it was slightly damp from the sweat.

"Stay here, Padfoot. I'll go check on the kids," Remus stated then walked to the waiting room, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley following.

"Is he all right?" one of the twins asked.

"Yeah, he's all right. It was a nightmare, but the Healers have never seen anyone react to a nightmare like he did. So they don't know what to do. We'll have to talk to Dumbledore. He'll be awake soon," Remus told them then turned to Ginny. She had stopped crying, but her eyes were still red. "Look, Ginny, I'm sorry for yelling at you, but we needed room and we didn't want you to see Harry like that. Especially since that was worse than others. So, I'm sorry for yelling," he apologized and she nodded in acceptance.

"Has this always happened?" she asked quietly.

"It hasn't happened since he was seven. The nightmares just started at the beginning of the year again. They must have started again because Voldemort was coming back," Remus shrugged.

"But it's never happened at school or when he came over," Ginny frowned.

"No, it never happened when he went to the Burrow, but it has happened at school," Remus nodded and Ginny looked at him. "You never knew because, well, you and Harry weren't close until after the incident in the Chamber. In his third year, he was taken and we were busy with the trials. It didn't really happen last year," he told her.

"Oh. Has he ever gotten hurt?" Ginny wondered.

"No, he hasn't."

"Do you want to go in and see Harry, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her daughter.

"No. I think I'll wait until he's awake," the younger witch shook her head.

"We can all go in for five minutes. We only want there to be a couple people in the room at a time when he's awake. It might be overwhelming if they're too many people at once," Remus explained to them and they went to Harry's room, Ginny staying in the waiting room.

"How is he?" Remus asked.

"Better. He stopped sweating and his breathing has slowed down. If he wakes up within half an hour, he should be awake in ten minutes," Sirius answered.

"Good. Ginny said she'll only see Harry when he's awake," Remus told his friend, taking his seat by the bed.

"When will he be allowed to go home?" Mrs. Weasley wondered.

"In about one to two weeks. They can't be positive until he's awake," Sirius told the woman.

"What'll happen when you all go home? What'll happen about work?" Bill asked them.

"We haven't officially decided yet, but Remus will probably stay home to keep an eye on Harry. He's able to work from home, and there's too much going on now for me to stay home," Sirius replied.

"You can call at anytime, dear," Mrs. Weasley told Remus who smiled.

"Thanks, Molly."

"Do you know what's going to happen with the Department of Mysteries?" Fred or George asked.

"Nope. It's most likely going to be blocked off and security is going to be even tighter," Remus sighed.

"I have a hard enough time getting into the Ministry now," Bill groaned.

"The other day, it took me twenty minutes to get in. They didn't believe I was Head Auror, and because of the papers, they think I'm a Death Eater," Sirius said.

"He's waking up," Hermione stated and they looked at Harry.

"We'll go back to the waiting room," Mr. Weasley replied and led them all out of the room.

"But—but—" Mrs. Weasley started.

"Come on, Molly. We have to go for now," Mr. Weasley pulled her to the waiting room.

"Harry?" Remus whispered.

"Mmm," the boy moaned.

"Hey, kid. You awake?" Sirius smiled as Harry stirred again.

"Mhm," Harry moaned again. Remus and Sirius grinned at each other and lightly nudged Harry. "Okay, okay."

"Hi, Harry," Remus said and Harry's eyes slowly opened.

"Hi," Harry sighed quietly.

"Hey, kid. You all right?" Sirius stated.

"I'm okay," Harry nodded. "When can I go home?" he asked, still talking quietly.

"Not for at least one or two weeks," Sirius answered.

"Oh," Harry tried to sit up but winced in pain and got pushed back.

"You have to stay lying down. You might damage your ribs," Remus replied.

"Fine," Harry sighed. He fell quiet and scratched around his stitches then scratched his right forearm. He glanced around the room then stared at the bed.

"Harry? What is it?" Remus frowned. Harry mumbled something but they didn't hear.

"What was that?" Sirius asked.

"I'm sorry," the boy muttered.

"Harry, what could you possibly be sorry for? You didn't do anything," Remus stated.

"Yes I did. I told Voldemort that Summer's wand was in Sirius' office. That's why they attacked the Ministry," Harry told them quietly.

"That doesn't matter. No one got hurt and they only took the wand and the files. Besides, the Ministry would've gotten attacked sooner or later," Sirius replied. Harry shrugged and avoided their gaze. "I only told because at that moment I didn't think I could handle any torture. I never would have told otherwise."

"We know you wouldn't have told. Harry, we don't care about that. All we care about is that you're alive and here," Remus said.

"Excuse me. I just came in to check on Mr. Potter. I hope you don't mind," the Healer, Rachel, walked into the room. "Hello, Mr. Potter. I'm Rachel. Rachel Watts," she smiled and they all stared at her.

"Watts? As in W-A-T-T-S?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes."

"So you happen to know a Summer Watts?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. We were sisters, step-sisters actually. I don't consider her my sister anymore. Her father married my mother when we were fourteen. Her mother died when she was young and my father left when I was born. How do you know her?" Rachel frowned.

"You mean besides the fact she's one of the Death Eaters that helped make my life a living hell for the past couple weeks?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Harry," Remus scolded. "Language."

"Sorry," Harry apologized and Remus stroked his hair.

"She's my ex-fiancée. We were supposed to get married and we went to school together. She was Lily Evans' best friend," Sirius answered.

"Yes, I remember. She got into Gryffindor and I got into Hufflepuff. We lost contact after graduation," Rachel nodded.

"Did you talk at all?"

"A little. When we did talk, she would talk about Sirius Black but I never acknowledged the name. About a year after graduation, I heard rumours she was engaged to Sirius but I didn't think of it then either. A little bit after that, I began hearing rumours that she had become a Death Eater. I didn't believe it until I asked to meet up with her and she told me," Rachel explained. "If you're Sirius Black, are you related to Narcissa Malfoy?" she added.

"Yeah. They're my cousins. So are the Lestranges, Weasleys, Tonkses, Lupins, and Potters," Sirius nodded.

"You were related to Lily and James?"

"Cousins. Lily through marriage of James. Remus was cousins to Lily and I was cousins to James. Harry's our nephew," Sirius answered.

"I—I have to go. Another patient. I'll be back later," Rachel said and left the room.

"Did not see that coming," Harry replied and they looked at him. He shrugged.

"Maybe that's why I don't like her," Sirius stated and Remus rolled his eyes.

"I wanna go home," Harry whined and the older wizards laughed.

"In a week," Sirius smiled. Harry frowned.

"Do you want to see anyone right now?" Remus asked the boy.

"Ron and Hermione," Harry replied and they nodded. Remus stood and walked to the waiting room. A couple minutes later, Remus returned with Harry's friends.

"Oh, Harry. Thank God!" Hermione ran over and lightly hugged Harry, not wanting to hurt him.

"Hey, Harry. How you doin', mate?" Ron also hugged Harry slightly.

"Definitely been better," Harry smiled, glad to finally see his friends.

"We really missed you and we were really worried," Hermione said.

"Yeah, I really missed you too," Harry nodded.

"Hey, pup. We're going into the hall for a bit to talk. We'll be right back," Remus told Harry who nodded, and the older wizards went into the hall.

"Look, are you sure you want to work from home, because if not, I can take time off to stay home?" Sirius stated.

"Padfoot, it's fine. I'm perfectly capable of working from home and watching over Harry. You can't take time off. It's too busy and you've already taken time off, and they need you down there. Just be sure to keep communicating with Harry," Remus nodded.

"Okay, I actually wanted to tell you something. The week summer holiday's start, I'll be leaving for a bit to do some stuff for the Ministry. For my cases anyways. I'll be gone for around a week or two weeks," Sirius told him.

"We just got Harry back and you're already leaving him? You can't do that. He'll go mental," Remus frowned.

"I know. I'm trying to figure out how to tell him," Sirius sighed.

"Sirius, you'll be spending three weeks with Harry. Not even, because you'll be working, then you'll be leaving," Remus crossed his arms and stared at Sirius. "Does it even have to do with your cases?"

Sirius stayed silent for a bit as his friend stared him down. "No, it doesn't. It's for the Order. Dumbledore asked me to go. He already has it planned out," he shook his head. "Moony, it's only one to two weeks. You've been on missions that have been longer."

"Yeah, but you were working and Harry was at school. You're leaving when Harry just comes home and we're both at home," Remus replied.

"Look, it's not like I'm going it alone. I'm bringing a couple Aurors with me," Sirius said.

"Who?"

"My two best Aurors, and it's not Kingsley or Tonks because they have to be here. Kingsley's taking over and Tonks might be getting sent on her own mission. I'm brining Damian Sanders and Zack Taylor," Sirius answered. "I'll be fine. I won't get myself killed," he grinned.

"I know, but Harry will be terrified of just that. You have to tell him but tell him at home," Remus stated and they went back into the room.

"You were gone for like twenty minutes. What's up?" Harry stated when they sat down again.

"It wasn't that long," Sirius said.

Yeah, it was. It was like twenty minutes. We figured Sirius did something and Remus was trying to kill him," Harry shrugged.

Sirius and Remus rolled their eyes. "We were talking and Sirius didn't do anything this time," Remus grinned as Sirius scowled.

"Ron! Hermione! It's time to go! We'll come back tomorrow! Come on!" Mrs. Weasley called.

"I guess we have to go. See you tomorrow, Harry," Hermione hugged him again.

"See you, mate," they stood up and walked away.

"What's going on with OWLs?" Harry asked, once again scratching his arm. They frowned slightly when they saw the action but ignored it.

"In a couple days you, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville will be going to Hogwarts to take your OWLs. You didn't think you could miss them, did you?" Sirius smiled and Harry shrugged, grinning.

"I'll be there while you're taking your exams," Remus answered.

"Won't Sirius be there or at home?" Harry looked between his uncles. They looked at each other. They forgot about telling Harry that Sirius would be working.

"Oh, uh, sorry, kid, but Moony will be working from home to watch over you. I have to go to work," Sirius replied.

"You mean I won't see you now?" Harry whined.

"You still have to be here for one or two weeks and I'll be here the entire time, but it's too busy at the Ministry. I can't take time off because it's busy and I already have, and Remus is able to work from home. I can't. We can talk through the mirrors. Besides you have to go back to school for the last three weeks. Remus will just be there too. We'll still talk, don't worry," Sirius explained to the boy.

"I guess. Hey, where's my wand? I never got it back," Harry changed the subject.

"We have it. Bellatrix either dropped it by accident or on purpose when she and the others disappeared," Remus told him.

"Good. I thought it was gone," Harry said then yawned. The older wizards looked at the clock and saw it was eleven-thirty at night.

"Take these. We should get to sleep. It's late," Remus handed Harry a Pain-Free Potion, Sleeping Potion, and a Dreamless Sleep Potion. They watched Harry drift to sleep then fell asleep themselves.

* * *

><p>It was a week and a half later and Harry was getting restless. The Weasleys and Hermione still went to the hospital everyday to visit Harry, who didn't mind having many people around anymore. They never spoke to Rachel unless it was about Harry then she stopped coming. It was a Friday a week and half after he had been rescued, and he was hoping to be released. There had also been an article in the <em>Prophet.<em>

_Healer Known to be Sister of Death Eater__  
><em>_Healer at St. Mungo's, Rachel Watts, has been arrested for associating with a Death Eater and not turning the Death Eater in when she knew…_

"Didn't think she would get arrested," Sirius stated and Remus and Harry stared at him. He shrugged.

"Can't we just get up and leave? They said I'll most likely be getting released today," Harry complained as he flipped through a Quidditch magazine. Harry was completely healed. His ribs, cuts, bruises, wrists, and ankle were all finally healed. He had gotten his ten stitches out of his cheek a couple days earlier. There was a light scar but the Healers said it would disappear.

"No, they have to make sure there's nothing else wrong," Remus shook his head.

"I won't be going back to work until Monday," Sirius added and Harry smiled.

"Hello, I'm Jessie Clark. So you're Mr. Harry Potter and these are your…uncles, that right?" the Healer read from some paper.

"Yes, I'm Sirius Black and this is Remus Lupin," Sirius nodded.

"It says Mr. Potter was kidnapped for two and a half weeks. He had a sprained ankle, severe cuts, severe bruises, five broken ribs, dehydrated, malnourished, and he had been under the Cruciatus Curse. The really severe cuts had been on his chest, back, and cheek. There were cuts from rope on his wrists, a cut on his neck, and bad bruising on his face and everywhere else. Correct?" she asked, still reading from paper.

"Yes."

"You've been through quite an ordeal. You must have been happy to be here, even if it is the hospital," Jessie smiled.

"I'm not a fan of Healers. I'd rather go to them when I'm unconscious," Harry shrugged and Jessie laughed. Harry's guardians frowned again as Harry scratched his arm.

"I suppose you're hoping to go home then, are you?" Jessie stated.

"Definitely.

"Well, let's see how you're doing," she walked over to him and began to feel the boy's ankle. "Your ankle is fine and so are your ribs," she examined his wrists, which still had a tinge of redness to them, his chest, his back, then his cheek, where a scar was set, and lastly his neck where there was a faint scar. "Everything seems fine. You have a few scars from all your deep cuts but they'll disappear. The redness in your wrists will go away as well. For a few more days, take it easy on your ankle and ribs. We don't want them getting damaged again. You're all set. You're able to go home now. Before you leave, stop at the front desk and get some potions. Good luck and be careful. Goodbye, Mr. Potter," Jessie explained everything then disappeared from the room.

"Thank you. Goodbye, Jessie," Remus smiled as she left.

"There. You get to go home," Sirius said to Harry.

"Good. How are we getting home?" Harry asked.

"Driving. Mr. Weasley is letting us use the car. There is no way we're Flooing or Apparating anywhere until you're able to," Remus replied and Harry rolled his eyes.

"I am able, you two just don't want me to. Don't try and blame your protectiveness on me," Harry crossed his arms and his uncles looked at him.

"We can and we will. You're the one who's always getting into trouble not us. We tell you every year not to go looking for trouble," Sirius stated and Harry scowled.

"And every year I tell you that I don't go looking for trouble, trouble finds me," he raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever. Ready to go home?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, let's go," Harry grinned. They stood up and Harry slowly got out of bed and walked with them. Before they left, they did what Jessie told them to. They stopped at the front desk and picked up some potions.

"Moony, why did we get those? We have the exact same potions at home," Sirius said as he looked at the Pain-Free Potion, Sleeping Potion, and Dreamless Sleep Potion.

"We needed more and they would have said something if we didn't get a single potion for Harry," Remus answered.

"Good point," they walked outside and found Mr. Weasley's blue Ford Anglia. They settled in and drove to Grimmauld Place. The entire time, Remus and Sirius were whispering something to each other. At first Harry tried to hear but gave up almost immediately after. The drive home seemed long though it was only twenty minutes. When they finally got home, they got out and the car drove itself back to the Burrow. If Harry hadn't become so familiar with the car in his second year, he would have been really surprised, but he didn't really like the car, due to the fact it threw he and Ron out of it.

"Come on, Harry," Remus called and Harry walked to them. Sirius opened the door and they walked in.

"Welcome home, Harry!" a big group of people cried. There was Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley all there. Ginny ran to Harry and hugged him tightly as he kissed her cheek.

"Thank goodness you're all right," she smiled at him.

"Welcome back, Harry," Tonks hugged him as well. They all stayed for a short while then left, stating they had things to do and wanted to give Harry space.

"Harry Potter is back. Dobby is very happy that Harry Potter is okay," Dobby smiled, his big eyes dancing.

"Hi, Dobby. Thanks, and it's just Harry," the boy smiled back at the house elf then went up to his room. He opened the door and a white owl immediately flew to him. "Hedwig!" he hugged the bird and stroked her as she nipped him affectionately. As he was looking around his room, he felt a tug at his pants and saw a black dog "smiling" up at him, and Remus standing in the doorway. "Hi, Sirius," Harry sat on the bed and Sirius jumped up. Sirius lightly bit the boy's arm as he scratched him other.

"Harry, is there something wrong with your arm? You keep scratching it," Remus frowned.

"No, it's fine. Just a small itch. That's all," Harry lied and Sirius whined. Remus frowned more and sat on the bed as well as Sirius changed back.

"Harry, since you woke up you've been scratching. What's on your arm?" Sirius repeated.

"Nothing. It's just itchy, okay?" Harry lied again.

"Harry, you can tell us. Come on," Remus stated.

"Wait. I think I—" Sirius stopped as he walked to his room then back to Harry's holding a small piece of paper. "Moony, we forgot to check his arm at the hospital. Remember, Rachel said there was something she thought we should see on his arm. We never looked," Sirius replied. He gave Remus the paper who looked at it then Harry.

"Harry, please let us see your arm," Remus said softly.

"No!" Harry jumped up and ran down all the way to the basement. There was a couch there and he sat on it.

"Harry, come on, kiddo," Sirius said. Remus and Sirius went to the couch and sat by Harry again.

"Harry, let us help. Please. It's us, we'll help," Remus replied quietly and Harry looked into their eyes. He nodded. Remus put an arm around Harry as Sirius pulled back the boy's right sleeve. They gasped when they saw his arm and Harry's eyes filled with tears.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Before you read and comment on my whole removing the Dark Mark thing, take into account that I am fully aware that it is extremely rushed and not as good as it probably could be. :P :]**

There sat the Dark Mark. Harry pulled his arm back and avoided the older wizards' gazes.

"Harry, it's not bad. We know you didn't want it. We can get rid of it," Remus said softly.

"You can?" Harry looked at them.

"Not us, per say, but Dumbledore can. Whenever you want we can go to him and he can get rid of it," Sirius replied.

"Now, I want to go now," Harry told them.

"All right. Let's go. Be careful, we're Flooing," Remus stated and they walked back up to the living room. They all stepped into the fire one by one and Flooed to Dumbledore's office.

"Hello. Good to see you're all right, Harry. How can I help you?" Dumbledore smiled.

"Sir. We checked Harry's arm just now because we had forgotten to at the hospital, and we saw it. We were hoping you could get rid of it," Remus told him.

"Of course. Come sit, Harry," Harry sat beside the headmaster as he took out his wand. "I will warn you that it will hurt. I'm not going to lie, it is going to hurt," Dumbledore warned Harry and the boy nodded. Sirius and Remus walked up to Harry and knelt beside him. Dumbledore put his wand to Harry's arm where the Dark Mark was. He began muttering something in Latin and then there was a bright yellow light. Harry began screaming in pain and he could feel tears in the corner of his eyes. Remus and Sirius put their arms around Harry while it happened. After a bit, the light disappeared and the Dark Mark was gone.

"Thank you, Albus," Remus smiled as Sirius hugged Harry.

"Your welcome. I'll see you on Monday," Dumbledore smiled. They went to the fire and Flooed back home.

"Better?" Sirius said.

"Yeah, thanks, guys. I thought I was gonna have it forever. It really scared me when Voldemort gave it to me. It hurt too. I'm guessing you know that though from the postcard," Harry answered.

"Yeah, don't worry. It's gone, you'll never have it back," Remus told the boy.

"Yeah. Thanks again. I'm gonna go to bed. I'm tired," Harry slowly walked up the stairs to his room.

"What's going on with this mission?" Remus asked as they sat and drank coffee.

"I'm still going. You know I can't quit," Sirius sighed.

"You have to tell Harry."

"I can't!"

"Well, you better because when you disappear and don't come back for a while he's gonna wonder where you are!"

"Right now I'd rather he didn't know anything! If he knows, he begs me not to go!"

"Only because he loves you and he doesn't want to lose you! He's lost enough already! We're all he has left of Lily and James!"

"Yeah, I know! If I get hurt or killed, it's not on purpose! It'll be one to two weeks!"

"And if something happens to you, it's longer and we get worried as hell!"

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Harry had fallen asleep but woke up when he heard yelling. He sat up, walked out of his room, and went to the stairs. He sat at the top when he saw his uncles and heard them yelling.<p>

"And when you leave, what am I supposed to tell Harry, huh?" Remus yelled.

"Don't tell him where I am or what I'm doing! I'll be back in a couple weeks!"

"I couldn't tell him where you're going or what you're doing even if I wanted to because I don't know!"

"Once again, if I tell Harry I'm leaving, he'll beg me to stay! I can't deal with that! I don't want to leave him 'cause we just got him, but the whole thing's already planned out and there's no one else to go!"

"Sirius, Harry needs to know!"

"Why? Why does he need to know? He's gonna be in school while I'm gone."

"Just because he's at school, it doesn't mean he won't worry about you! And no, he won't be in school! You're leaving the week summer holidays start, which means Harry comes home!"

"I'll be back like a week after Harry's holidays start! It'll be fine!"

"Sirius. You better go up those stairs and tell Harry that you're leaving to go on a mission for the Order when his holidays start," Remus ordered. Sirius glared at his friend. He turned his back on Remus, grabbed his coat, and went outside, slamming the door behind him. Harry watched as Remus ran a hand irritably though his hair then walked in the direction of the library. Harry sighed and rested against the railing before standing and walking to his room.

"Okay. Sirius is leaving and they're mad at each other," Harry said to himself. He sat on his bed for a bit then grabbed his coat and walked downstairs. He quietly put his shoes on, opened the door, and went outside. He looked around then started towards the park across the street. He kept walking until he came to the swings and sat beside Sirius.

"What are you doing here, kiddo?" Sirius stated.

"Could ask you the same thing. I heard the whole fight," Harry answered.

"I wanted to tell you at first but then everything caught up with me. I can cancel, I don't—"

"Go. You should go. You said yourself Dumbledore can't get anyone else. Go on the mission, just be careful. I don't want you to stay just because of me. I'm not that important," Harry said.

"To Remus and I, you're the single most important thing. I don't—"

"Sirius. Be careful and go on the mission. Of course I'll still worry. Who wouldn't? Go," Harry replied.

"You sure?" Sirius asked and Harry nodded. "Thanks, Harry. Sorry we didn't get to be together longer," Sirius hugged the boy.

"It's all right. We'll hang out when you get back. Right now, you need to tell Remus that I know, you're going, and I'm okay with you going," Harry told Sirius.

"Come on," they stood and made their way back to the house.

"Remus? Remus!" Harry called.

"Library!" they heard him call back.

"Figures," Harry shook his head.

"You spend just as much time in libraries as he does," Sirius grinned as the teen rolled his eyes.

"Remus? Someone wants to talk to you," Harry said and Remus put his book down.

"Who?"

"Sirius," Harry let Sirius in then shut the door and sat beside Sirius.

"Moony, Harry knows about the mission. I'm going. Harry said I should go," Sirius told his friend.

"That's all you had to do. You just had to tell him," Remus answered.

"Well, I didn't tell him, he heard us fighting. So anyways, I'll be leaving when holidays start. Harry said I should," Sirius replied.

"Just be careful," Remus smiled.

"I know. Harry said the same thing."

"Now that you're both done yelling, I'm going to bed again. I'm still tired," Harry stood and went to the door.

"Pup, take off your shoes," Remus pointed at Harry's feet.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry sighed, took off his shoes, and went back to his room.

"You sure you want to go?" Remus looked at Sirius.

"Yep. You sure you want to stay here and watch over Harry?" Sirius grinned.

"I heard that!" Harry yelled.

"Yeah. He has to take it easy for the first little while anyways. With any luck, he'll sleep most of the time," Remus nodded and they laughed.

"I heard that too!" Harry yelled again.

"Go to sleep!" Remus yelled back. They laughed when they heard him groan loudly.

"We got him back. Even though he went through hell, he's still the same kid we raised," Sirius stated.

"Of course. He could be dying and he'd be the same, but we would never change it, would we?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Not a chance." Just then, there was a knock on the door. Remus went to get it as Sirius went to get a drink.

"Snape," Sirius spit out his butterbeer and turned to the door. "What do you want?" Remus growled.

"I just wanted to see Harry. I heard he was home. I am able to see him," Snape frowned.

"We are not letting you near him," Sirius put a hand on his wand.

"What's wrong?" Snape wondered.

"We know you could have gotten Harry away from Voldemort earlier. You left him there. Because of you not caring, he almost died," Sirius stated.

"If I tried to get the kid out, they would have killed me."

"So you left Harry to die to save yourself!" Remus said loudly.

Snape glared. "Torturing that brat was probably good for him. Maybe it'll help him stop acting like his father. Arrogant and obnoxious!"

Then a fist came from nowhere and hit Snape in the face. "Get. Out. Of. Our. House," Sirius said through gritted teeth and Snape left. "I don't think we're friends anymore."

"You think?" Remus rolled his eyes. What they didn't know was that Harry heard and saw everything.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Sirius woke up and, before going downstairs, checked in on Harry. He opened the door and saw Harry sweating and mumbling to himself.<p>

"Harry? Come on, kiddo. Harry. Harry," Sirius whispered as he sat on the bed. Harry slowly moved and his eyes opened. "Morning, kid."

"Morning."

"Nightmare?" Harry nodded. "Do you know where Remus is? He's not here." Sirius added. The teen shook his head. "Okay, you go back to sleep. Come down later."

"Kay," Harry rolled over and went back to sleep. Sirius walked into the hall, shutting the door, and went downstairs. As he walked into the kitchen, he stopped at the table when he saw some paper.

_Sirius,__  
><em>_Went to the Ministry to get some stuff to bring home. Going to Diagon Alley after. Be home around noon."__  
><em>_-Remus_

Sirius looked at the clock. Ten-thirty a.m.

"Okay, so I have to watch Harry for a couple hours," Sirius stated.

"Am I that hard to watch?" a voice said from the stairs. Sirius spun around and saw Harry slowly walking down the stairs.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Sirius asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Harry shrugged.

"You should sleep, you know."

"Don't go parental. You sound like Remus. Where is he?" Harry said.

"I have to be parental. He went to pick some things up. He's going to Diagon Alley after. He'll be back around noon," Sirius told him. "I'll be in the living room in a bit. Just need to get food."

"Kay," the teen nodded then walked down a hall to the library. He looked around then took a book down about defence and went back to the living room. He sat down and opened the book.

"What's the book about?" Sirius asked as he sat with the boy.

"Defence," Harry said shortly.

"Of course," Sirius muttered and Harry grinned. "Look, I know you want to read but you really should sleep."

"I slept for a week and a half in the hospital. Come on, please let me read," Harry looked at Sirius with puppy dog eyes.

"Fine," Sirius agreed and Harry went back to his book.

"You know, I don't think Snape will be happy to go back to school with a broken nose," Harry struggled to hide his grin. Sirius stared at him incredulously. "I'm not hard of hearing, you know," he looked at his uncle.

"So you heard everything last night?"

"Like I said, I'm not hard of hearing. I saw everything too. I stayed on the stairs when I heard someone at the door."

"Unbelievable," Harry grinned and Sirius shook his head. He ruffled the boy's hair.

* * *

><p>Remus opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron and walked in.<p>

"Remus! How are you?" Tom, the bartender smiled.

"I'm fine, Tom. How about you?" Remus sat at the counter.

"All right. Business has slowed down though. I guess since You-Know-Who is back everyone's watching out," Tom answered.

"You heard about that, did you?" Remus asked, taking a butterbeer.

"I did. How's your boy doing?"

"He's better. I'll be working from home to watch over Harry. Sirius has to work," Remus nodded.

"I'm glad he's all right. When I heard he had been taken, I couldn't even imagine how you were holding up, since I know he's your life. I didn't believe the article that said he was dead," Tom told him while cleaning some glasses.

"Thanks, Tom."

"So, how come you're not at home right now?" Tom grinned.

"I had to pick some things up from the Ministry and I decided to come here. I'll go back around noon," Remus answered. "I might walk around Diagon Alley for a bit."

"How do you like the Ministry? Especially since you're always with Sirius."

"Well, I shared a dorm with him, now I share a house with him, and we've both raised Harry, so it's fine. Sirius has grown up since we got Harry. He still acts like a teenager but he's still grown up. I love it at the Ministry, so does Sirius," Remus replied and the bartender laughed. For another forty minutes, Remus stayed in the bar and chatted with Tom. After, he bid goodbye to his old friend and went into Diagon Alley. He walked into the bookstore and began looking around. He stopped at a section when he heard some witches and wizards talking.

"Turns out, that Rita Skeeter reporter lied. Harry Potter's not dead. My friend saw him leave St. Mungo's with a couple wizards," a witch said.

_At least they don't think we got him killed__, _Remus thought as he looked through a book on all magical creatures._  
><em>

"I hear they don't take care of the boy. He was better off with those muggle relatives of his," another witch added. Remus frowned.

"Apparently, those guardians of his made the Ministry allow the adoption," a wizard put in.

"I've heard they lock him in a room and feed him once a day. He's lucky if he gets two meals a day," an older witch stated.

_All right. I'm out of here. I don't know where people hear these things__, _Remus started towards the door but stopped when a witch called his name.

"Remus Lupin! Lovely to see you, dear!" the witch was elderly and Remus knew her. She was Gilderoy Lockhart's mother.

"Mrs. Lockhart. Good to see you as well," Remus faked a smile.

"Since my son's tragic death, I've been selling some of his books so people will remember him," she said.

_Who could forget _him? Remus thought.

"Since you and Gilderoy were so close, here's one of his books, free of charge," she handed him a book.

"Thank you and I'm sorry for your loss. Goodbye," Remus said quickly and left the store. He looked at his watch. Eleven-thirty. "Better head home. Who knows what those two have done," Remus added to himself and went back through the Leaky Cauldron and went home.

* * *

><p>Remus appeared in front of Grimmauld Place and walked in to find the house almost silent.<p>

_They must have done something__, _Remus thought. He went up the stairs to his room and dropped his things off, then went back down. First he looked in the kitchen but when they weren't there, he went to the living room. He smiled when he saw both Sirius and Harry asleep on the sofa. Just below Harry's arm, which was hanging over the side, was a book on defence.

"Hey, Moony. When did you get here?" Sirius asked as he woke up.

"Just now. How long have you been sleeping?" Remus replied, picking up the book.

"Me? Only about twenty minutes. He's been asleep for over half an hour. What did you do in Diagon Alley?" Sirius told his friend.

"First I went in the Leaky Cauldron and talked with Tom for about an hour. Then I wandered around Diagon Alley and went into the bookstore. Have you heard the stories some people say?"

"You mean like how he was better off with the Dursleys and we forced the adoption?"

"Yeah, and apparently we lock Harry in his room and give him one meal a day and he's lucky if he gets two," Remus frowned.

"Ridiculous. Did you buy anything?" Sirius wondered.

"No. Didn't find anything."

"Remus, you're back," Harry smiled as he slowly sat up. "Hey. Where's my book?" Remus held the book up and Harry took it, smiling. "Thanks," Remus sat down beside Harry and began talking about the book as Harry showed him stuff. Sirius decided to go upstairs and went into Remus' room when he saw a book on his bed.

"Hey, Moony. Can I ask you something?" Sirius asked and Remus frowned when he saw Sirius smirking.

"What?"

"Why the hell do you have a Gilderoy Lockhart book?" Sirius showed the book.

"Stay out of my stuff. Mrs. Lockhart, his mother, gave it to me. She's selling his books. I didn't want it but I couldn't say no," Remus summoned the book then turned to Harry. "If you don't want to be grounded, I'd stop laughing," he said to the boy who was in hysterics. When spoken to, Harry stopped laughing and Remus started, ruffling the boy's hair to Harry's irritation.

"Why, why, and uh, why?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, still grinning.

"Since he's dead, Mrs. Lockhart is selling his books so people 'don't forget him'," Remus did air-quotations around 'don't forget him.' "To Mrs. Lockhart, Gilderoy and I were close friends even though I couldn't stand the man. I'm never gonna read it," he finished explaining. "Can we move on?"

"All right. So how's Tom doing?" Sirius sat down.

"He's fine. He said that business is slowing down what with Voldemort coming back. He had read all the papers during the kidnapping. He didn't believe Harry was dead or that we had sold him to Voldemort, of course. He wants to see you and Harry again," Remus told him.

"Yeah, we should go see him soon," Harry smiled at them.

"Oh no, no, no. You're not going anywhere except school on Monday," Sirius shook his head.

"Oh, come on. You'd be there with me. What's the worst that could happen?" Harry frowned.

"Harry, you're not exactly the safest kid. I mean, you have the most powerful dark wizard hunting you down. Besides, you have to take it easy for a bit," Remus replied.

"If you go out in the open, you might be asking to get killed," Sirius added.

"Then maybe you should have let Voldemort kill me. It would have made things a lot easier on you," Harry glared at them then went to his room, slamming and locking the door.

"How long has he thought that?" Sirius frowned and Remus shrugged. "Should we go check on him?"

"Not yet. We'll give him time," Remus stated. Sirius nodded. So Remus went into the kitchen to start lunch as Sirius turned the TV on.

Up in Harry's room, the teen had packed his backpack and had put on his jacket. He tiptoed downstairs and peeked into the living room then the kitchen to see both his uncles busy. He quietly went down the rest of the way and silently out the door.

"Harry! Lunch! Sirius!" Remus called for the others. Sirius walked into the kitchen and sat at the table with Remus. "Where are you going for the mission?"

"So far all I know is I'm going to California and Miami," Sirius answered.

"Harry! Come down and eat!" Remus called again. "Why isn't he listening?"

"Let's go up to him," Sirius and Remus went up to Harry's room and walked in. "He's gone!" Sirius cried.

"He is in so much trouble," Remus said angrily.

"Where could he be?" Sirius wondered.

"Dunno, but he bag is gone and so are some of his clothes. We have to find him," Remus ran downstairs, put his shoes and jacket on, and went out the door with Sirius behind him.

"Harry! Harry!" Sirius called.

"Maybe we should split up. You go right and I'll go left," Remus pointed in the directions and they split up. "Harry! Harry!" Remus yelled.

* * *

><p>Harry whipped around when he heard Sirius' voice calling for him.<p>

"Damn it!" Harry stood up from his spot by a tree, grabbed his bag, and ran down the street.

"Harry! Harry, stop! Harry!" Sirius yelled. "Harry! Come here! Harry" he yelled again. Harry groaned and stopped then turned around, annoyed. "Harry, what do you think you're doing?" Harry didn't answer, he just glared at his uncle.

"Come on! You're coming home now!" Sirius grabbed Harry's arm but the boy tore away.

"No! Let go!" Harry glared.

"Harry! Come on, right now!" Sirius grabbed Harry again and pushed him in front. Harry stumbled and fell to the ground.

"I hate you!" Harry yelled at him. Sirius picked up Harry's bag.

"Harry, get up," Sirius said. "Harry, get up!" Sirius took Harry's arm and pulled the boy up. He didn't try to get away but let Sirius pull him back to Grimmauld Place. Sirius brought Harry into the house and put him in Harry's room. He threw the bag on Harry's bed who had turned around and was glaring deeply at Sirius. "I'll be right back. Stay here," Sirius shut the door and locked it when a spell. Harry ran to the door and tried to open it.

"God damn it!" he kicked the door then sat on the floor, leaning against his bed.

Sirius went downstairs then outside and sent a Patronus to Remus, telling him he had found Harry. It was about ten minutes later when Remus was at home.

"Where is he?" he asked as soon as he walked in the door.

"I locked him in his room," Sirius replied and they ran up to the teen's room. Sirius unlocked the door and they walked in.

"Harry, what the hell were you doing?" Remus asked angrily as they stood in front of Harry, who just glared at them.

"What were you doing? You could have gotten taken again or killed!" Sirius added.

"Yeah, well, too bad. You found me too fast for that to happen! Why didn't you just let Voldemort kill me? You're lives would have been much better and easier without me!" Harry shouted at them.

"How long have you been thinking that?" Remus asked, his voice calming.

"Since I woke up in the hospital. So why did you save me? I'm just going to make your lives miserable! That's all I do to people! I'm too much of a damn threat to the people I know! Why couldn't you have just let me die?" Harry shouted again, his voice cracking as his eyes filled up.

"Harry, if that was true, which it isn't, do you think we would have adopted you? Would we have tried non-stop to figure out where you were? If that was true, would the Weasleys, Hermione, and all the others be your best friends? We chose to take you from the Dursleys. We talked and argued with Dumbledore for days about it because he was convinced you were safer at the Dursleys because of Lily's sacrifice, but we convinced him to let us get you. We didn't get you and raise you because that's what your parents would have wanted. That's only part of the reason. We got you for us. We wanted to take you in," Remus said as he and Sirius knelt down.

"And since when have our lives ever been easy? You know Voldemort's been after us since we were in school. Harry, you know we love you and we always will. We never would have let you die. You haven't made our lives worse, you've made them so much better and it'll never change," Sirius added.

"That's all I wanted to do when I was in the Ministry. I just wanted to die. I wished Voldemort would just kill me," Harry told them quietly. "Sorry I yelled and I'm sorry I ran off," he apologized.

"It's all right, but you're still grounded," Remus stated as he and Sirius hugged the boy.

"I am?" Harry looked at them as they smiled and nodded. "Fine."

"Look, get into bed. I want you to sleep for a couple hours. Come on," Remus told Harry.

"Do I have to?" Harry groaned as he crawled into bed.

"Yes, you have to," Sirius smiled.

"Take these," Remus handed Harry a sleeping and dreamless sleep potion. "See you later," both adults kissed Harry's forehead then left the room, closing the room.

"I hope he doesn't keep thinking these things," Sirius sighed.

"Well, it was two and a half weeks until we got to him. He might be a little traumatized and might still have some of those kinds of thoughts," Remus replied.

"Well, you go back to school on Monday with him and I'm back at work. Maybe he'll be a little better," Sirius replied.

"Maybe, hard to say," Remus shrugged. "Hopefully he'll get better soon. I don't think the Dreamless Sleep Potions will keep working."


	23. Chapter 23

Monday morning, Remus woke up and realized Sirius had left for work when he didn't appear to be in the house. He walked back to Harry's room and slowly walked in. He walked to the window and opened the curtains. He grinned as Harry groaned and turned his back to the light.

"Harry, come on, pup. We've gotta leave in a half hour and you still haven't packed. Let's go," Remus sat on the bed and lightly nudged Harry in the back.

"No, what time is it?" Harry mumbled.

"It's quarter to nine. We have to get to Hogwarts before breakfast is over," Remus told him.

"No," the boy pulled the blankets over his head and Remus pulled them back.

"Harry, come on. Get up," Remus urged.

"Fine, I'm up," Harry rolled back over and got up.

"Get dressed and pack. Be down in fifteen minutes. I'm watching the clock," Remus ruffled the teen's hair then went downstairs.

Harry groaned again as he stood up and sifted through his clothes until he found a pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt. Now fully dressed, Harry began piling his things into his trunk. He put his cloaks, his hat, and all his clothes and just as he was putting his books in, he noticed his Astronomy book was missing.

Going down the stairs, Harry called, "Remus, I can't find my Astro—" he stopped when he saw Remus sitting at the table, reading the _Daily Prophet, _and holding out Harry's book.

"You were saying?" Remus grinned as Harry rolled his eyes, taking the book.

"Lay off, Remus," Harry grinned and walked to the fridge, taking out a butterbeer. "Who died?" he asked as he glanced at the paper of Remus' shoulder.

"Who said anyone died?"

"Well, I saw the word 'murdered' in the title and I just always thought that when murdered, someone was dead," Harry stated sarcastically.

"Of course. Cheeky," Remus raised an eyebrow. "Anyways, a wizard family. Mother and father and two kids. Cheyenne and Charlie Henderson. Their eleven year old boy, Mike and their six year old girl, Brooke. Apparently the boy was in Hogwarts, first year," the older wizard told him.

"Yeah, he got into Ravenclaw," the teen nodded.

"Okay, go finish packing. Go on," he pushed Harry to the stairs.

"Okay, okay," Harry groaned and went back to his room. He walked in and tossed the book into his trunk, but he missed and it slid under his bed. He sighed, bent down, and looked under his bed. He saw the Astronomy book, but he also saw an envelope and a white box. He frowned and took hold of all three items, putting them in his lap. He threw the book into his trunk then looked at the envelope. Harry turned it over and saw the wax seal was half-way broken. When he turned it back over, he realized it was addressed to Sirius. He frowned, turned it over, and debated on whether to open it or not. Finally he decided to open it and broke the deal the rest of the way. He pulled out a piece of paper and began reading.

_Dear Sirius,__  
><em>_As your younger brother, I know I'm the only one who means a little bit to you. I'm being hunted by my master and the other Death Eaters so I will be killed soon. I must go into hiding for as long as I can. I know what my master is going to do to your Potter friends. I have a feeling that the baby won't die though, but if he does, I'm terribly sorry. If he doesn't die, I'm certain that you and your Lupin friend will find a way to have him in your custody. I know how much they all mean to you, and I'm sorry for what will happen. Since I'm positive the three of you will become a small family, I have decided to give each of you, including the boy, one of these special pocket watches. I had them specially made when I learned what would be happening. Once again, I'm sorry, but now I must go. Goodbye, my brother. I'll miss you, Sirius.__  
><em>_-Regulus__  
><em>  
>Harry was stunned as he dropped the letter and looked to the box. He was just about to open it when Remus walked in the room.<p>

"Really now. Come on. We have to go," Remus stated, not noticing the box.

"Remus, was this Sirius' room when he was a kid?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Did you both clean and check the entire house before we came here?"

"Not completely, no."

"Did you get to check and clean this room?"

"No. Harry, this isn't the time for twenty questions. What are you getting at?"

"These were under my bed," Harry held up the box and letter.

"It's probably a gift from one of your friends. Same with the letter," Remus shrugged.

"No, it's not. Not even close."

"Look, we don't have the time. Let's go," Remus started out the door.

"It's from Regulus," Harry called and Remus stopped, turning around.

"What?"

"It's from Regulus. Regulus Black. Sirius' brother," Remus didn't speak, he was just as stunned as Harry had been.

"It must be a mistake," Remus finally said.

"Nope. I read the letter. He was being hunted by Voldemort and the other Death Eaters when he wrote this. He knew what was going to happen that night on Halloween fourteen years ago. He knew Mum and Dad were going to die and he knew I was going to live. He knew you and Sirius would adopt me. I wasn't reading it wrong either," Harry shook his head and told his uncle.

"Let me see that," Remus took and read the letter. "Oh my God. Let's see the box," he sat on the floor next to Harry and took the box. He opened it then moved the paper inside, revealing three pocket watches. They each had three hands with pictures of Sirius and Remus when they were around twenty and Harry as a baby. Around the edge, instead of numbers, like the Weasley clock, there were words. Home, lost, dead, school, work, traveling, hospital, prison, King's Cross, Diagon Alley, and the Burrow.

"Whoa, it's like the Weasley clock at the Burrow. Cool," Harry said as he looked at the watches.

"All we have to do is change the pictures of us so they're of us now," Remus took out his wand and muttered something. Harry looked at them when he was done and saw the pictures were present picture of the small family. "When Sirius has time, we'll show him. Right now, we have to get to the school. Breakfast is going to be over anytime," Harry nodded, put the Marauder's Map and Invisibility Cloak in his trunk, put Hedwig in her cage, put on his sweater, and followed Remus downstairs.

"Come on, we're Apparating," they walked outside, locking the door, and walked to the park. Harry took Remus' arm and the same sensation of Apparation started then stopped and they were in Hogsmeade. They quickly walked through the village and to the castle. They went to Gryffindor Tower, Harry dropped his things off, and they went to the Great Hall.

"Go sit. I'll be at the staff table. Don't go anywhere without telling me," Remus told Harry before they went into the Hall.

"I know. Don't go into the forest, don't go out after dark, don't wander anywhere alone. I've been getting the same talk since I was five," Harry grinned as Remus scowled.

"Harry, this isn't funny. We really thought we had lost you and we don't want to take any chances. Just, please, behave for the last couple weeks. Please," Remus stared Harry in the eyes. Harry nodded. "Thank you. Now go, your friends are waiting," Harry ran to Gryffindor table and sat with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus, Neville, and Dean as Remus went to the staff table.

"Welcome back, Harry," Seamus shook his head.

"Good to see you're alive. It was getting sort of depressing around here," Dean added.

"Thanks, guys," Harry smiled.

"We should all go play Quidditch. Breakfast is going to be over soon and we don't have our exams until after lunch or dinner," Ron suggested.

"Yeah, definitely. We can go three on three," Harry nodded.

"Sorry, mate. We're not as lucky as you. We have to go to class. Care of Magical Creatures," Dean replied as he and Seamus gathered their books and bags, and then left the Hall.

"All right. Two on two. Don't worry, Hermione. Just sit in the stands like always. Now, we need teams," Harry instructed.

"Sorry, Harry. Can't. You've seen me on a broom. I can't fly. I'm just gonna go to the library. See you after, guys," Neville said and left.

"All right. I have no one to go with. Maybe we can get Fred and George to play too. They have a free space right now," Ginny replied.

"George! Fred! You two want to play Quidditch?" Ron called for the twins and they walked to the others.

"Sure," they nodded.

"Okay, George, you're with Ron and Fred you're with Ginny. I'm Seeker," Harry answered.

"Great. Let's go," Fred smiled and they all stood, heading out of the Hall.

"I'll meet you there," Harry stated and the others went outside. "Remus, can I go play Quidditch? Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George are playing too. Hermione's just sitting in the stands like always," Harry told his uncle after getting him to Gryffindor table.

"I don't know, Harry. Sirius and I didn't know if we wanted you to play yet or not," Remus said slowly.

"What? Come on, you'll be there. We're on Hogwarts grounds. What could happen?" Harry stared at his guardian.

"So, you were inside the castle when you got kidnapped. The grounds are no safer, even with me there," Remus replied.

"Please, Remus. You know how much I love Quidditch. You can't stop me just because of some bones that are already healed."

"Harry, we are not letting you play yet. You just got out of the hospital a couple days ago," Harry muttered something but Remus didn't hear. "What?"

"I said you and Sirius are over-reacting. You both are so over-protective, I'm not even allowed to walk outside without you or Sirius holding my hand. I'm not five years old anymore," Harry responded.

"You know we only do what we do because we love you. We love you more than you'll ever know. We almost lost you two years ago and we almost did again. You have no idea how hard it is for Sirius and myself to keep thinking we'll never see you again. You're our life. You may not know it but it's true," Remus said softly.

"I know it's all because you both love me, I love you too, but why do I have to stop doing things, like Quidditch, just because you're being protective?" Harry sighed.

"Just for a bit. We can go down and watch but you're not playing."

"Kay," Harry sighed again then he and Remus walked to the Quidditch pitch. They went to the Gryffindor stands and sat with Hermione. Ginny, Ron, George, and Fred flew to the stands.

"Hey, why aren't you in the field, mate?" Ron asked.

"Because _someone _won't let me play," Harry emphasized 'someone,' crossed his arms, and glared at Remus.

"What? Why?" one of the twins wondered.

"Because Sirius and I aren't letting him until we know his bones are completely healed. He can play again in a couple days," Remus answered instead.

"All right. Come on. We'll play," Ginny said and they flew off. After a few minutes, Harry turned to Remus.

"Please, please let me play. I can't sit here and watch like 'Mione," Harry pleaded.

"Hey. I can hear, you know," Hermione scowled at her friend, looking up from her book.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry ignored her.

"No, you can't play. I know you hate that but we're not letting you play," Harry groaned and glared at his uncle. They watched as the others continued to play and then Ginny caught the Snitch.

"That was a brilliant game," Harry stated as the Weasleys flew to the stands.

"Thanks. Well, we should go. We have classes," George said and the twins flew off.

"I'm going to the library. See you later," Hermione closed her book and walked to the castle.

"We're gonna go too. Ron, let's play chess. That way I can beat you at two games in one day," Ginny smirked at her brother.

"Very funny. See you, mate," Ron scowled at Ginny and they went back to the school.

"Well that sucked. Quidditch is only good if I'm playing," Harry frowned.

"_Accio __Firebolt__. _I'm going to let you fly. Just be careful and don't do any of the things you do during games. Now stop complaining at me," Remus ruffled the boy's hair as he mounted the Firebolt.

"Thanks," Harry smiled and took off. Remus sat back and watched as his nephew flew around the Quidditch pitch. He watched as Harry pulled up sharply out of a dive.

"Harry! I told you not to do that!" Remus called and Harry grinned, flying around the far goal posts. Remus shook his head and sat down again. He watched Harry for another twenty minutes before calling for him again. "Come on, pup. Time to go in. Time for dinner."

"Oh, come on. Ten more minutes," Harry whined as he hovered at the Gryffindor stands in front of Remus.

"Nope. Let's go. Dinner time, then you have your Charms OWL," Remus shook his head and Harry walked out of the stands with his guardian.

"Oh man, this bites. It's going to kill me. For almost all of the classes there's a written and physical part. Potions is only physical, Defence is only written because of Umbridge. Moody didn't have time to make his own exam. Divination is only written, Creatures is only written. History, obviously is written."

"If you haven't noticed, a lot of your OWLS are only one thing. You have three or four classes that have both a written and physical part," Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever," Harry rolled his eyes and they continued to the castle. They were almost at the Great Hall when Snape stopped them.

"What do you want, Snape?" Remus glared and slowly stood in front of the teenage boy.

"I just got back and I heard Harry was here. Hi, Harry. You all right? I'm glad you got away," Snape said.

"You had many chances to get me out of there. You chose to leave me there," Harry frowned.

"You ungrateful brat. I could have let Lucius torture you but I didn't. You are just like your father. Obnoxious, arrogant, and no regards for anyone but yourself," Snape growled as he held Harry's wrist tightly, making the boy wince. Harry could feel tears in the corner of his eyes and looked at Remus who finally noticed what Snape was doing.

"Let him go, Severus," Remus said coldly. You didn't know James the way we did so leave him out of this. Now, let. Him. Go," he said through gritted teeth, moving a hand to his wand inside his robes. Snape released Harry who soothingly rubbed his throbbing wrist. The Potions master glared deeply at the two one last time and stalked off. Remus sighed and turned to Harry. "Let's see," Remus looked at the boy's reddening arm. "It'll bruise, but you'll live. Come on," he ruffled Harry's hair, and went to the Great Hall.

"Harry, what happened to your wrist?" Hermione asked as Harry started eating.

"Nothing. Just something that happened between me and Snape in the corridor. It's nothing. Small bruise. It'll go away," Harry stated simply as he ate.

"When can you start playing Quidditch again, mate?" Ron wondered.

"Not sure. Probably not until summer," Harry shrugged, chuckling at Ron's expression.

"You've got to be joking? We're stuck here for two weeks and you can't even play with us. That bites," Ron whined.

"Shut up, Ron," Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all said. Ron frowned and went back to eating. They all chatted while they ate, laughing every once in a while. Harry also saw that Remus kept looking at him, looking very worried.

"I actually don't have to stay the whole two weeks. I only have to stay the few days I have exams. I'm choosing to stay," Harry told his friends.

"But then you have to spend the days with everyone here," Ron frowned.

"Ron, Harry's friends with all the teachers and it's not like he's best friends with the Slytherin house," Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I don't think I'm on good terms with Snape anymore. I don't think I will be anymore," Harry said slowly.

"Why?" Hermione wondered.

"One, he could have saved me and gotten me out of the department earlier, but he didn't and two, I think Sirius and Remus hate him even more. The only reason they'll let me near him is because he's my professor," Harry explained.

"Goodbye good mark on Potions OWL," Ron groaned.

"Shut up, Ron!" Ginny, Harry, and Hermione said again and Ron faked being hurt.

"Some friends. You tell me to shut up twice in under ten minutes," Ron crossed his arms, pouting. They all rolled their eyes and stalked off to class when the bell rang, Ron running to catch up.


	24. Chapter 24

A week later, Remus had finally gotten hold of Sirius and had gotten him to come up to Hogwarts. Harry was taking his Transfiguration OWL, so Sirius and Remus went and sat in the Quidditch field in the Gryffindor stands.

"What's goin' on, Moony?"

Remus breathed deeply. "Last week before Harry and I left, Harry found something under his bed. It was a letter and a box."

"Yeah, so?"

"Sirius, that used to be your room when you were a kid. The letter and box were from Regulus."

"What?" Remus handed Sirius the letter and the box. It was quiet as Sirius read the letter, his eyes glistening in the sun. He slowly opened the box and saw the pocket watches. "Oh my God. He gave these to me three days before he got killed."

"Why was it still in your room? You left when you were sixteen."

"I had gone back a year after graduation. I had gotten a letter from Regulus saying how he missed me. I missed him too so I went home. He gave these the night I arrived. We hung out the next day and then he disappeared that night. Didn't hear from him again. He turned up dead the day after. I left that night when I heard the news. I haven't been back since now," Sirius told his friend.

"Do you want to keep the watches?"

Sirius was quiet as he stared at the watches. "Yeah. Yeah, let's keep them," Sirius took one out and looked at the hands. All of them were pointing at 'school'. He handed one to Remus and they put the watches in their pockets. "Let's find Harry," they stood up and walked back to the castle. They walked through the school, searching for Harry.

"Luna!" Sirius called to a blonde fourth year Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood. She was close friends with Ginny. Luna turned around when called.

"Hello, Professors. How are you two doing?" Luna stated in her dreamy voice.

"We're fine, Luna. Have you seen Harry?" Remus replied.

"He was heading to the library with Ron, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean. Studying for their History of Magic exam," Luna informed them.

"Thanks, Luna," they said and ran to the library.

When there, Sirius called out, "Harry!"

"Sshhh!" the strict librarian, Madam Pince, angrily shushed him and glared at them.

"Sorry, Madam," Sirius apologized.

"Let's find Harry," Remus pulled on Sirius' arm and they walked through the library.

"Harry? Harry. Where are you?" Remus whispered.

"Oh, hi, guys. What are you doing here?" Harry asked when his uncles appeared.

"We wanted to give you something."

"All right, can you make it quick? We have to go to our History of Magic exam in five minutes," Harry stated.

"You remember that box you found in your room the other night?" Remus started and Harry nodded. "We're keeping the watches. Here's yours," he gave the teen the watch as he smiled.

"Cool. Thanks. Are you sure, Sirius?" Harry wondered.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sirius smiled.

"Cool," Harry said again. "Damn it. Sorry," he said quickly at Remus' raised eyebrow. "Come on, guys. We're gonna be late for History. Let's go. Bye, guys! Thanks," Harry called as he, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, and Dean ran off.

"Bye, kiddo," Sirius called after the boy. "I should get back to work. See you later, Moony."

"See you," Remus sighed and decided, when Sirius disappeared, to read for a bit while he waited for Harry's exams to finish for the day.

* * *

><p>Harry, Ron, and Hermione sighed in relief as they collapsed in the common room. It was finally the end of their OWLs. Their last ones had been Astronomy then last had been Potions.<p>

"That was one of the longest weeks in my life," Ron muttered and the others agreed.

"One more week and it's summer vacation," Harry pointed out.

"Unbelievable," Hermione shook her head.

"Kind of bites though. I missed two weeks of school and now school's over," Harry frowned. "It's gonna be worse since I have to spend this summer at number twelve," he groaned. Ron and Hermione grinned at each other. Harry furrowed his eyebrows at their looks. "What?"

"Nothing. Nothing," Ron said quickly.

"No, really. What's going on?" Harry asked again.

"You'll find out at the end of next week. We're not allowed to say. Sworn to secrecy," Hermione shrugged. Harry stared at them curiously.

"Sworn to secrecy by who?"

"Can't say. You'll find out everything next week," Ron shrugged. Harry frowned and crossed his arms as he stared down his friends, who avoided his eyes.

* * *

><p>Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was going crazy. In half an hour, the students would be hopping onto the Hogwarts Express to go home for another summer.<p>

"Argh! Would you just tell me what's going on?" Harry groaned as he, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron took one last walk around outside.

"We can't. You'll find out when you get home," Ginny told him.

"Ugh!" Harry growled. The others grinned at each other and laughed silently at Harry's irritation. They walked around, chatting for twenty minutes then went back into the castle. The corridors were filled with all the students, chatting and walking back to their dorms to get their things.

"Come on. We have to leave in ten minutes," Hermione said and they ran through the crowds to Gryffindor Tower. The teens grabbed their trunks then headed back down to get a carriage to go to the train.

"Come on. Let's get a compartment before Malfoy," Ron stated and he, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny went to the train.

"I'm gonna sit with Luna. See you three after," Ginny told them and went to find the compartment Luna Lovegood was in. The trio found an empty compartment and sat down. Before they started talking, Harry took out his pocket watch.

"Hey, look, guys. It says Sirius is at King's Cross and Remus is lost," Harry showed his friends.

"Isn't Sirius supposed to be working?" Ron wondered, even though he and Hermione knew what was going on.

"Yeah, and how is Remus lost? It doesn't make sense," Harry frowned and the others struggled to hide their grins. Harry gazed at their actions curiously.

"How about a game of chess?" Ron changed the subject and pulled out his board and pieces.

"Sure," Harry agreed, still confused. Why wouldn't they tell him anything? Harry and Ron played five games while Hermione watched or read the _Prophet_. Harry realized Ron wasn't paying attention because Harry won three games in ten minutes.

"What is up with you two?" Harry frowned, crossing his arms.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Hermione wondered innocently.

"You know exactly what I mean. Ron, I beat you in ten minutes three times and Hermione, you have been on the same page of the paper for over fifteen minutes," Harry raised an eyebrow as they grinned sheepishly.

"We swear you'll find out in half an hour to forty minutes," Ron told his best mate. Harry furrowed his eyebrows angrily and his friends avoided his penetrating tare. They were silent for almost the rest of the journey. When the train finally pulled to a stop at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the kids emptied out of the train. Harry walked through the barrier with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, Luna, Seamus, and Dean. When on the other side, Neville, Luna, Dean, and Seamus bid goodbye and ran to their parents.

"Do any of you see Sirius?" Harry asked his friends.

"Nope. There's Mum!" Ginny said and waved to her mother. "Bye, Harry. Have a good summer. See you soon. You too, Hermione," she added and ran to her mum.

"See you soon, mate. Bye, 'Mione. Have good summers!" Ron smiled and ran off also.

"There's my dad. Bye, Harry. I'll see you soon," Hermione hugged Harry then went to her father.

_Okay, not funny. Where are _they? Harry thought. He pulled out his watch and saw Sirius was at work and Remus was traveling. He watched as Remus' hand moved to King's Cross.

"Harry!" Remus called and Harry spun around. "Harry, sorry I wasn't here."

"It's all right. I just thought I was gonna have to go to the Burrow," Harry smiled as he returned Remus' one-armed hug.

"Sirius was supposed to get you off the train because I was busy but he got called to work."

"Another murder?" Harry guessed and Remus nodded. "Death Eaters, Voldemort, or werewolves?"

"Death Eaters," Remus answered gravely. "Let's get in the car," they walked to the car and filed in. it was quiet as Remus drove home.

"What's going on? Who died?" Harry asked after about ten minutes.

"Harry, there was an attack on the Tonkses place. Ted got killed, pup. Tonks got a few cuts. Andromeda is in the hospital," Remus told the boy sadly. Harry stared out the window, his eyes filling up with moisture. He couldn't believe Ted was dead. He loved the Tonkses. Ted was so funny. He wondered how Tonks and Andromeda were going to hold up.

"What's Andy and Tonks gonna do?"

"Tonks is taking a couple days off work when Andy gets out of the hospital and staying with her."

"When's the funeral?"

"Saturday after next," Remus replied. When he looked at Harry he saw the sadness in the boy's face and put a hand on Harry's shoulder in comfort. The rest of the ride was silent and when they arrived at number twelve, they went inside.

"How's Sirius?" Harry asked.

"He's all right. He's gonna be coming home tonight for a couple hours," Remus responded.

"Why? I thought it was too busy for him to leave the Ministry?" Harry frowned.

"He's leaving tonight."

"Leaving for what?" Harry was still confused.

"His mission.

"Oh," Harry said shortly. "Where is he going?"

"He's going to Miami, he thinks anyways," Remus said. Remus gazed at Harry who still looked sad. "Come with me, pup. Sirius and I have a surprise for you."

"Is this the thing Ron, Hermione, and Ginny know?" Harry crossed his arms. Remus grinned, nodding.

"Come on," Remus dragged Harry outside to the park where they Apparated. "Open your eyes, Harry," Remus muttered in the boy's ear. Harry opened his eyes and his gaze fell on a very familiar cottage.

"It's the cottage! What are we doing here? I thought it wasn't safe?" Harry smiled.

"We're moving back. We're taking extra precautions. Dumbledore and I have put up the usual wards along with some others. We're moving back tonight," Remus laughed as Harry hugged him.

"Let's start packing," Harry said eagerly. Remus Apparated them back to number twelve and Harry ran up to his room to start packing. Remus laughed and shook his head. He sat in the living room and started working on his case about the werewolves, while listening to Harry run around his room. After about a half hour, Harry went downstairs and to the living room.

"Done packing already?" Remus grinned as Harry sat beside him on the sofa.

"Yep," the teen nodded. "What's going on with the werewolves?"

"They haven't been seen since their last murder a couple months ago. All we know is that they're with Voldemort. So when and if we find Voldemort, we'll find the Death Eaters and werewolves," Remus explained.

"Is there anything on Voldemort?"

"Nope. When he disappeared in the Ministry, he disappeared. Don't know where he went," Remus told him.

"What if he gets to Sirius while he's gone?"

"Sirius will be fine," Remus assured.

"Hey, guys," Sirius said as he climbed out of the fire.

"Hey. Harry's ready to move. He's done packing," Remus stated.

"Good. Moony, can I talk to you?" Sirius tried to smile at Harry but failed.

"Sure." Remus stood and they walked to the drawing room. They shut and locked the door, and Sirius put a Silencing Charm on it. "What's going on?"

"There was another murder about twenty minutes ago," Sirius started quietly. Remus waited for him to continue. "Voldemort attacked this time. I think he wanted the pleasure of hurting Harry and someone close to him himself because it was the Grangers. Hermione's all right but her parents didn't make it. Her house got burnt to the ground by the Death Eaters," he finished, even more grave.

"Oh my God. Where's Hermione?" Remus wondered.

"Kingsley and I sent her home from the Ministry with Bill. Well, not home, to the Burrow," Sirius sighed.

"We should tell Harry," Remus replied.

Remus thought. "After we move back to the cottage," he finally said. Remus nodded and they went back to the living room.

"What's going on?" Harry asked when they returned.

"Nothing. Stay here. We're gonna go pack," Sirius said, his voice still dull, and he and Remus went to their rooms to pack. Harry frowned and sat back. After about ten minutes, they were back and they Flooed to the cottage.

"What do you think?" Remus smiled.

"It's brilliant. Looks just like it did before. I love it," Harry grinned happily. "I'm gonna put my stuff in my room," he bounded up the stairs.

"It's now or never, Padfoot," Remus stated.

"Can't I choose never? It would save us some time," Sirius responded.

"Now, Sirius. Come on," Remus started to the stairs but Sirius stayed put. "You'll fight Death Eaters head on and you're fearless, but this you're terrified of," he raised an eyebrow and his friend grinned sheepishly. Remus grabbed Sirius' arm and pulled him to Harry's room.

"Harry? Can we come in?" Remus called through the closed door.

"Yeah," they walked in. Harry had pretty much unpacked everything. "We need to get everything else over here so I can hook up my Wireless Wizarding System. I could really go for some music right now," he told them as they sat on the bed. "Is something wrong?"

Sirius and Remus sighed. "Come sit, kiddo," Sirius stated and Harry sat between them. "Harry, twenty minutes ago there was another attack. It was Hermione's family. Hermione's all right but Mr. and Mrs. Granger are dead. Their house was burnt to the ground. Hermione's staying at the Burrow. The funeral is tomorrow. You and Moony have to go yourselves because I leave tonight. I've already said everything to Hermione," Sirius explained to Harry.

"Oh man," Harry sighed, staring at the floor. "He's going after everyone I care about instead of trying to get me," he added, referring to Voldemort.

"Don't worry, Harry. Everything will be fine," Remus assured.

"Sirius, don't go," Harry said suddenly.

"What?"

"Don't go. Don't go one the mission. Please," Harry pleaded.

"I have to go, kid. I'm sorry. I have to go," Sirius stated quietly.

"Don't go. Please," the teen whispered. Sirius didn't answer, he just pulled Harry into a hug, and held him tightly to his chest.

"When do you leave, Padfoot?" Remus asked, watching as Harry slowly calmed down in Sirius' arms.

"I leave at eleven. I have three hours," Sirius answered. Remus nodded.

"How about we finish moving? We'll get all the furniture tomorrow," Remus suggest after a long silence.

"Okay," Harry replied dully. So they went downstairs and began bringing small things back to the cottage by Floo. While moving, Sirius suggested shrinking all the furniture so they could get it to the cottage that night. Remus agreed with the idea and brought everything over. After putting everything where it went, the three sat on the sofa and chatted. Before they knew it, it was five minutes to eleven o'clock.

"Wanna play chess?" Harry asked, not realizing what time it was. Dumbledore answered for Sirius.

"I'm terribly sorry, but Sirius has to leave now. Do you have everything packed and ready, Sirius?" the headmaster responded.

"Yes, sir. I'll go get it," Sirius went up the stairs to his room. Harry also went upstairs.

"Harry—" Remus began but the boy was gone.

"He seems upset by this. Didn't Harry want Sirius to go on this mission?" Dumbledore asked Remus.

"He did, but that was before the people he cares for started becoming targets for Voldemort. He thinks Sirius is going to get killed or hurt while he's on the mission," Remus nodded. "Where does Sirius have to go anyways, sir?"

"Well, first he will be going to Miami, then Los Angeles, then Washington maybe, or Russia or Texas," Dumbledore told him. Remus looked worried.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Harry was standing in Sirius' bedroom door.<p>

"Harry, please move. I have to go."

"No."

"Harry, please."

"No, I don't want you to go. If you go, you'll either get hurt or killed. Don't go, Sirius, please, please, please," Harry begged, his voice breaking.

Sirius knelt in front of Harry and stared in his eyes. "Listen to me. I am not going to get killed. If I get hurt, it's fine. I'll live. I'm coming back, Harry. I'm leaving for a couple weeks. I'll never leave you and Remus forever. Never. I'll miss you. I love you so much, kiddo. I love you," Sirius said and hugged Harry who lightly cried on his shoulder.

Sirius heard Harry's muffled voice say, "Promise you'll come back. Promise."

"I'll come back. I swear I'll come back."

"Love you, Sirius."

"Love you too, kid," Harry stood up and Sirius saw he had stopped crying. Sirius stood, grabbed his bag, and headed downstairs, Harry right behind him.

"I'm ready, sir," Sirius stood beside Dumbledore as Harry went beside Remus.

"Very good. We will be going to my office for a minute. Your two Aurors are waiting there. I'll meet you there," Dumbledore Flooed to Hogwarts. Sirius turned to Remus and Harry.

"See you in a while, Moony. Watch Harry carefully. You never know what he might do," Sirius grinned at Harry who couldn't help but smile like Remus.

"Bye, Padfoot. Be careful," they hugged. "Come back soon and alive. Not for mine or your sakes, but for Harry's," Remus whispered.

"I will," Sirius muttered back. "Bye, Remus. Bye, Harry," he said then Flooed to Hogwarts.

"Bye," Remus nodded his head.

"Bye, Sirius," Harry mouthed. Remus didn't even hear him speak the words. "I'm going to bed. Night, Remus," Harry mumbled and went up to his room.

"Night, pup," Remus watched Harry slowly climb the stairs. Remus then went upstairs an hour later to go to bed. He stopped at Harry's room and opened the door.

"Harry?" he whispered, walking into the room.

"Yeah?" Harry stated.

"Can't sleep?" Remus sat on the bed. Harry shook his head. "Sirius will be fine," he brushed the boy's cheek with his hand.

Harry sat up and turned on his lamp. "How do you know though? I mean, since you got me back, Voldemort's going after everyone I know and care about. He even said I would lose everything. He's right too," Harry pulled his legs to his chest.

"Since when do you believe Voldemort?" Remus raised an eyebrow, his mouth turning up into a soft smile. Harry shrugged. "Move over," Remus got Harry to move to the wall and he sat beside the teen. "Now, what's bothering you the most?"

"The fact that Voldemort's going to take everything away from me just to get to me. I don't want people to suffer just because a wizard's trying to kill me. I'd rather just hand myself to Voldemort so he'll leave everyone alone," Harry told his uncle.

Remus frowned. He put an arm around Harry. "Never say that again. Never say you want to give yourself to Voldemort. Do you honestly think that even if Voldemort killed you," Harry noticed Remus winced as he spoke the words, "he would leave everyone alone? Everything would be worse because then Voldemort will have taken over the world. And if you were…dead…everyone who loves you and all your friends from Hogwarts would suffer more than they are now because you'd be gone. It's not going to stop whether you're dead or alive. It'll stop when Voldemort's gone," he finished.

"And I'm the one who has to kill him and I can't do that unless all the horcruxes are destroyed," Harry stated. "And until they're found and destroyed, everyone's gonna get hurt. I mean, Ted's already dead, Andy's in the hospital, Hermione's parents are dead. Who's next? Fred? George? Ginny? Sirius?" Harry frowned.

"Sirius will be fine. So will the Weasleys and Hermione. You're going to hurt yourself doing this. You think everything that happens is your fault just because you have a dark wizard after you," Harry started to protest but Remus stopped him. "Look, nothing that happens is your fault unless you're the one that did it. If Death Eaters attack the Burrow, it's not your fault. If you set the Gryffindor Tower on fire, then it's your fault because you did it. Anything that Voldemort, Death Eaters, or werewolves do has nothing to do with you," he finished and Harry sighed, leaning his head on Remus' shoulder.

"I just want everyone to be all right and I want Sirius to come home," Harry stated, closing his eyes, suddenly very tired.

"I know. Everyone will be fine and Sirius will be home soon. Go to sleep. It's late," Remus murmured in Harry's ear and minutes later, the teen was asleep in Remus' chest. Remus kissed the top of Harry's head then fell asleep himself, his nephew in his arms.


	25. Chapter 25

Harry woke up the next morning, his head still on Remus' chest, the way he remembered falling asleep. He slowly sat up and stretched. He wrapped his arms around his knees and stared at his blankets, then turned when he heard Remus start to wake up.

"Morning, Remus," Harry smiled at Remus who sat up.

"Morning. You all right?"

"Mhm," Harry nodded.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," Remus grinned and went downstairs with Harry. While they ate, Remus read the_ Prophet_while Harry worked on some of his summer Charms work.

"Harry, you all right?" Remus looked up from his paper, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine. Why?" Harry frowned.

"Because you're talking about the Unforgivable Curses when you're supposed to be talking about Cheering Charms," Remus replied. Harry cursed, scratching out his work. He decided to give up on his work and pushed the Charms work away. "Harry, you're going to drive yourself mental worrying about Sirius like this. You're supposed to worry about yourself. It's not your job to protect Sirius and I. Be a kid not the adult. That's mine and Sirius' job," Remus told him.

"I just want Sirius to come home. It wouldn't be so bad if Voldemort wasn't going after everyone," the teen sighed.

"I know. Try not to worry too much. You'll go insane."

"Kay. Can I have Ron and Hermione over?"

"Of course," Harry smiled and went to the fire. He threw some Floo powder into the fire, yelled, "The Burrow," and stuck his head in.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Weasley smiled when she saw Harry.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Could Ron and Hermione come over for a bit?" he asked.

"Of course, dear," she nodded. "Ronald! Hermione! Harry wants you two to go over! Come on!" she called for the kids. They walked down the stairs. Harry saw Hermione looked horrible. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes.

"Hey, guys. Wanna come over? I'm bored as hell—sorry, Mrs. Weasley—come on over," Harry said to them.

"Yeah, sure we'll come over. Come on, Hermione. See you later, Mum," Ron nodded and he and Hermione went to the cottage.

"Hello, Ron. Hello, Hermione. Go do what you guys want to do. Make sure no one gets hurt and the cottage stays in one piece," Remus smiled at the fifteen year olds. They ran up to Harry's bedroom.

"I can't believe you can finally live in the cottage again," Ron stated, sitting on the floor.

"I know. I love it."

"Where's Sirius?" Hermione asked.

"He left for a mission yesterday," Harry answered sadly.

"When will he be home?" Hermione asked again.

"Couple weeks," After speaking, Harry zoned out, not hearing when his friends were calling him.

"Harry. Harry? Harry! Mate!" Ron threw a quill at Harry, hitting him in the chest.

"What?"

"You all right? You zoned out for a bit there," Hermione replied.

"I'm fine, just worried about Sirius. Have been since he left," Harry responded. Ron and Hermione smiled at him. Harry frowned when Ron grinned at him. "Why are you looking at me like that, Ron?" Ron didn't answer, he lunged himself at Harry and began wrestling while Hermione watched from the bed, laughing. Suddenly, Harry disappeared.

"Harry? Where are you?" Hermione said, looking around. Then a black bird hovered in front of Hermione. "There you are."

"Let's change too." Ron suggested, turning into a dog, Hermione an owl. Ron started jumping at the birds. Ron hit Harry lightly, making him fall with the animals, causing a crash. They changed back to humans and started laughing.

"Ron, get off me. You're making me squish Hermione," Harry said to Ron between laughs.

"Get off me!" Hermione giggled.

"I can't!" Harry answered.

"Well, someone's on my leg. I can't get up," Ron laughed.

"That's me, now get off. I can't breathe," Hermione stated. Ron finally crawled off them and sat, watching as Harry and Hermione untangled themselves from each other. After getting free, Harry jumped at Ron again, wrestling. Hermione laughed as she watched them roll around. When they rolled into the desk, a bunch of papers and books fell to the floor, some on the boys.

* * *

><p>Downstairs, Remus was working on his cases when he heard a couple crashes. He was ready to run up to Harry's room, but when he heard laughter, he went back to work. When he heard the sound of breaking glass he ran to the boy's room. The kids didn't know he was there.<p>

"Thanks a lot, Ron," Harry said to Ron as they stared at his shattered window.

"It's not my fault. You moved," Ron countered.

"Normally when things get thrown at me, I dodge," Harry replied.

"It's common sense, Ronald," Hermione stepped in.

"Now what do we do?" Harry asked his friends and they shrugged.

"I think this is the part where you go downstairs and tell your guardian what happened," Remus stated and the teens froze. "It just so happens that all you have to do is turn around," he added. He heard the groan as they turned around to face him. He walked around them, with his wand out, to the window.

"It was Ron!" Hermione blurted out.

"Hermione!" Ron looked at her angrily.

"I'm sorry, but it was you, Ronald," she shrugged.

"Doesn't mean you had to sell me out," he muttered. Hermione was about to argue back but Harry cut in.

"Stop, guys."

"So what happened?" Remus turned to them after repairing the window and getting rid of the few shards of glass that hadn't fallen outside.

"Ron and I were wrestling then I accidentally kicked him, he thought it was on purpose. He picked up a book, threw it at me, I dodged, it went through the window," Harry explained.

"That book?" Remus pointed to the red covered book on the ground outside. Harry nodded. Remus opened the now repaired window. "_Accio_ _book_," the book floated up to the second floor room.

"This is one of my photo albums. Ron! You idiot!" Harry hit Ron in the shoulder with the album.

"Ouch! Sorry, mate! Ow! What was that for?" Ron cried when Hermione slapped him in the head.

"Take it easy, kids. I'll make lunch," Remus ruffled Harry's hair which was already messier from wrestling.

"You're lucky I didn't get in trouble, Ron," Harry said and Ron grinned sheepishly. "Anyways, let's go down. Lunch will be ready soon," Harry sighed and they went to the kitchen.

"I only made sandwiches," Remus stated.

"That's fine. Thanks, Remus," Harry said and the trio sat down. Remus went back to the living room, continuing with the case files.

"So, Hermione. Are you done the summer work yet?" Harry added to his female friend.

"No. Don't be ridiculous, Harry. It's only the second day of holidays. It takes me at least four to five days, unless I spread it out, then one week," Hermione stated.

"O've 'ot 'o be iddin' me?" Ron said, his mouth full.

"Swallow, Ronald. Now, what did you say?" Hermione frowned.

"He said 'you've got to be kidding me'," Harry told her.

"Kidding about what?"

"You actually keep track of how long it takes to do your summer work?" Ron raised an eyebrow. Hermione rolled her eyes. They chatted, laughing loudly while they finished eating.

"Well, we should head home. Talk to you later, mate," Ron said, walking to the fireplace.

"Bye, Harry. Bye, Remus," Hermione tightly hugged Harry, making him stumble backwards.

"Whoa. See you, Ron. Bye, 'Mione," Harry chuckled and watched his friends disappear. Harry sat in a chair and turned the TV on.

"That was interesting," Remus stated. Harry grinned. "Hermione seems all right after what happened. "

"She said she's still upset but she's better. The Weasleys have been helping her a lot. She's actually moving to the Burrow. She's living there now. It was either the Burrow or she had to go live with relatives in Paris. She didn't want to leave, and she doesn't like Beauxbatons," Harry nodded, putting the TV on a movie called _The Matrix_.

"That's good. You'll see her more often then. Considering you see Ron almost every day over the summer," Remus laughed.

"Hey! It's not every day. It's every second or third day."

"That makes everything better."

"Yes, it does," Remus raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Lay off," the boy sighed.

"Didn't say anything," Remus put his hands up in defence. Harry rolled his eyes and went back to the movie. It ended up that the whole _Matrix_trilogy was on so Harry stayed up to watch it.

"Not too late, pup," Remus had said as he hugged the boy and kissed his head.

"I know. I have to be in bed by twelve. Lights out by one-thirty. It's been the same since I could stay up past ten o'clock," Remus stared at him. "I'll be in bed and asleep by one-thirty. I promise," Harry said and Remus went to bed. Unfortunately, each move was at least an hour and a half to two hours long. Harry ended up falling asleep at two o'clock, right in the middle of the third movie. When Remus had vacated the sofa, Harry had taken over and was now lying down, fast asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Harry didn't know where he was, just that he was alone and wanted to go home. He pulled out his wand and kept walking. He didn't know if he was on a path or if it was leading to or from the cottage. The forest didn't look like the once by the cottage or like the Forbidden Forest. It was a completely unknown forest. <em>

_He eventually stopped, mostly for what he had heard sound behind him. He slowly turned and saw some bushes rustling. He watched curiously as a figure emerged from the forest. Harry saw it was Voldemort and he was walking towards someone in front of Harry. _

_Harry watched as Voldemort smirked at him, making his scar sear, and continued towards the other person. Harry, still blinded by the pain of his scar, stared at the other person to see it was a man. Not any man though. It was Sirius! _

_"Sirius! No! Look out!" Harry yelled for his godfather. _

_"Hello, Sirius. Fancy seeing you," Voldemort sneered and Sirius glared. "Ah, Harry. I do hope you enjoy the show," he added to Harry, making the boy cringe from the pain in his scar. _

_"Leave him alone. Leave everyone alone. It's me you want. Come and get me. Just leave him," Harry said through his gritted teeth. _

_"But then I wouldn't have fun. I'll stick with this," he turned back to Sirius. Harry's eyes grew wide. "__Crucio__." _

_"No! Stop it! Stop it!" Harry cried. The curse was lifted. _

_"That was a warm-up. Here comes the real show," Voldemort smirked and pointed his wand at Sirius. "__Crucio__!" _

_"Please stop," Harry sobbed. _

_"All right. __Avada Kedavra__." _

_"No!" Harry screamed. _

_"I told you that you'd lose everything. I'll get to you soon," Voldemort walked off into the dark forest and Harry ran to Sirius, falling at his side. _

_"No, Sirius. No, no, no, no, no," Harry kept repeating while wincing in pain from the still growing pain of his scar. _

* * *

><p>"Harry! Please wake up! Harry! Come on, pup. Wake up," Remus said frantically. It was four in the morning and Remus had heard Harry scream and had run down to him. "Harry! Wake up!" he shook the boy lightly, trying to wake him.<p>

"Sirius. No, Sirius. Sirius," Harry muttered, still keeping a hand on his scar. Then his eyes opened. "Sirius!" he cried.

"Harry, it was a nightmare," Remus assured.

"He killed him. Voldemort killed Sirius," Harry whispered.

"Pup, it was a dream. Sirius is fine. Voldemort hasn't gotten him," Remus sat on the sofa and pulled Harry to his chest. "It was a dream…a nightmare…nothing more," Remus whispered as he calmed the teen.

"I want Sirius home."

"I know. Come on. Let's get to bed," Remus lead Harry to his room then gave him a couple potions. "G'night, pup. Love you," he kissed Harry's forehead as the boy fell asleep, then went back to bed.

* * *

><p>"How are you doing, pup? You all right?" Remus stated the next morning, sitting on the teen's bed.<p>

"I'm all right. Sorry for waking you so early," Harry said sleepily.

"Don't start apologizing for waking me up. You can't help it. It's fine," Remus replied. "Try to sleep a bit more. If you can't, come downstairs," Harry nodded and the older wizard left the room. Remus sat at the table and had coffee while reading the_ Daily Prophet_. It was about twenty minutes before he heard a yell again. He ran upstairs and to Harry's side. The boy was sweating profusely, sweating.

"Harry. Harry, come on."

"Sirius…Remus…Sirius…Dad…Mum…Remus…No!" Harry suddenly screamed then cringed and yelled as if in pain, but did not wake.

"Harry, please wake up."

"Ron…Hermione…Ron…Ginny…Mum…Dad…Argh!" Harry yelled out in pain. Remus was confused at why Harry kept saying Mum and Dad. He had never had dreams that involved Lily and James before.

"Harry!" Remus said loudly. Harry's eyes opened and he shot up in his bed. "Harry?" the teen looked around, obviously trying to figure out if what he had dreamed had been just that…a dream.

"Remus?" he finally said.

"I'm right here, pup. Don't worry. You're all right. What did you dream?"

"Mum and Dad were alive and we all lived together. You and Sirius lived with us too. Then it changed. It changed to the Ministry where I was. Voldemort was there. He had you, Sirius, Mum, Dad, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. He tortured all of you, getting me every once in a while. He killed Mum, then Sirius, then you, then Dad, then Hermione, then Ron, then Ginny. Then I woke up," Harry told his dream.

Remus smiled softly. "Come on. Let's go downstairs."

"Okay," Harry got out of bed. Remus walked with Harry to the kitchen where Harry sat at the table.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry," Harry said dully and he put his arms on the table, putting his head in them.

"You need to eat, Harry."

"I'll have a snack later. I'm gonna go to the library," Harry stood again and walked towards the library. Remus sighed. Harry had been acting strange since the kidnapping and even stranger after Sirius left. He seemed to be forgetting things a lot, zoning out, not eating much. He also was having nightmares every night and they wouldn't stop. Remus knew something was wrong, but also knew Harry wouldn't tell him. He walked to the library as well.

"Harry, I'm going out for a few minutes. Will you be all right alone?" Remus stated.

"I'll be fine. Really," Remus looked at him, worried. "I'll be fine, Remus. I've stayed home alone before."

"All right. See you later. Be good and don't leave the cottage."

"I know, I will, and I won't. Bye," Harry nodded and Remus nodded. He walked back to the living room and Flooed to Hogwarts.

"Hello, Remus. How are you?" Dumbledore smiled at him as Remus sat.

"I'm all right. Sir, I'm worried about Harry."

"Aren't you always?"

"Yes, but he's having nightmares every night now and they won't stop. He's also starting to dream about Lily and James. He doesn't eat much and he hardly talks. He always seems to be forgetting things and zoning out. I know there's something wrong but I also know Harry won't tell me if I ask," Remus told the headmaster.

"I may be able to find out what's wrong but he'll need to be asleep," Dumbledore replied and Remus nodded.

"Come over in five minutes. He'll be asleep by then."

* * *

><p>Remus laid Harry on the sofa. He had slipped a Sleeping Potion into Harry's butterbeer. The teen fell asleep in seconds. Dumbledore arrived soon after.<p>

"Now, I will just go through his memories. Maybe I can find out what's happening," Dumbledore explained. Remus nodded. The older wizard took his wand out and pointed it at Harry. He was still while he dug into Harry's mind.

"This could be the cause of the nightmares. While he was with Voldemort, Voldemort insulted Lily and James, and you and Sirius. He's convinced he's going to lose everything and he's already imagining it. As for the no eating or talking, that could be trauma from his torture. He must still be terrified. I don't think Sirius leaving helped either. It seems as though he's trying to push something from his body…from his mind. I don't know what. I may learn later. Has he ever talked about what happened in the Ministry?" Dumbledore stated.

"No. If it's brought up, he changes the subject, leaves the room, or ignores it," Remus shook his head. Dumbledore withdrew his wand.

"You need to talk to him about it. It might help. There's some stuff that happened that no one knows about. If he doesn't talk, bring him to me and I'll try. I'll see you soon," and the headmaster left. Remus sighed and watched Harry as he started to wake up.

"What 'appened?" Harry mumbled sleepily.

"Nothing. You just fell asleep. That's all," Remus gave a weak smile.

Harry frowned. "What's wrong, Remus?" he could tell something was wrong.

Remus sighed. "Harry. We need to talk. I know you don't want to, but we have to talk about what happened in the Ministry."

Harry stayed silent, but his eyes grew wide. "I—but—but I thought we were done talking about that."

"I know it's hard, but I need to know what happened. Please, Harry," he didn't answered. Remus sighed and sat back in his chair, turning his gaze to the TV, which he turned on. He knew Harry hated talking about things, no matter who it was, especially when pushed, so he waited. Harry didn't talk, he didn't even move.

"I didn't tell you everything that happened," Harry suddenly said quietly. Remus muted the TV and turned to the boy.

"It wasn't all questions and curses?"

"Mainly it was, but one day, something else happened," Harry didn't look anywhere but the floor and his lap.

"What happened, pup?"

"Voldemort showed me things. He showed me Dad's parents getting killed, your parents getting killed, Regulus getting killed. He showed me what happened on Halloween. He also showed me what's going to happen. He said he was going to make it all happen soon."

"What did he show you?"

"Sirius, dead in a forest after getting tortured. You getting killed in front of me, then me getting killed on the spot. Remus, if Sirius doesn't come home, he's going to die," Harry finally looked up, his eyes wide.

"He showed you what happened on Halloween?" Remus wondered. Harry nodded. "That explains why they're in your nightmares now. He showed you Ron, Hermione, and Ginny getting killed too, didn't he?" Remus stated. Harry nodded again.

"Sirius needs to come home, Remus. He'll die if he doesn't come back," Harry said.

"Sirius is going to be fine. We both know that," Remus put his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Stop saying he's going to be fine! He won't be! Voldemort's going after him first! He told me Sirius would be first!" Harry cried and Remus pulled him into a hug. He knew Harry was right. Of course he was. If Voldemort said he was going to do something, he was going to do it. Remus didn't know what to say, so he just held Harry close and buried his face in the raven-hair.

"I'm going to make lunch," Remus started to stand but Harry grabbed his wrist. "Come on. Just sit at the table," the boy nodded and walked with Remus, sitting down.

"You know, I always knew I would lose something. I just never thought it would be you or Sirius," Harry gave a slight laugh.

"And you won't. Harry, you're not going to lose us," Remus stated.

"Remus, you're next," Harry said. Remus turned to him and saw his eyes glistening with tears. "Once Sirius is dead, you're next."


	26. Chapter 26

"Remus, can I sleep over at Ron's? He just asked," Harry said, walking downstairs to the living room.

"Yeah, sure. Just tonight or the weekend?" Remus nodded.

"Is the weekend all right?"

"It's fine. Go pack your bag and you can head over to the Burrow. Are you sure you want to leave home for that long?"

Harry groaned. "Remus, don't. You know I'll be fine. There are wards around the Burrow and if I have nightmares, Mrs. Weasley will be there. I'll be careful and I won't wander off. You know all that."

"I know, but—"

"Remus. Please don't get too over-protective. I've always gone to the Burrow. I'll be fine. Please don't worry. Please," Harry looked into his uncle's eyes. They looked back.

"All right. Go. Have fun," he smiled and Harry ran to his room. Remus sighed and went back to his work. It had been several weeks since Harry had been saved. They didn't talk about the kidnapping. Everyone tried not to think about it, not wanting to relive the couple weeks. It had also been two weeks since Sirius had left for his mission. Harry had, of course, been worrying over the long absence of his godfather.

"Ready," Harry descended the stairs, carrying his over-night bag. Remus went to him. "I'll see you on Monday."

"See you, pup. Be good. Have fun. Love you," Remus hugged the boy.

"Love you too. Bye," Harry stepped in the fireplace. "The Burrow!" he shouted and disappeared. Remus took his place on the sofa again and continued with his work on the werewolf case. It was nearing five months and there had been no progress with the werewolf case. It was irritating Remus. He didn't know what to do yet. Just as he began working again, an owl flew through the open kitchen window and landed beside Remus' files.

"Can I have some time to work? Please?" he groaned, irritated. "Who're you from?" he muttered and removed the letter, the owl taking off. Opening the letter, Remus immediately recognized Dumbledore's scrawl. "Now what?" he had been getting letters from the headmaster almost every day since Sirius left two weeks before.

_Remus,__  
><em>_Please come to Hogwarts right away. It's important. Please don't bring Harry.__  
><em>_-A.D._

_Couldn't bring the kid even if I wanted to__, _Remus sighed and Flooed away to the castle.

"What's going on, Albus?" Remus asked as he sat down, trying to keep his tone polite and keep the irritation out.

"As you know, Sirius is in California," the older man started.

"Last we knew, yes."

"Just last night, his tracking device stopped. We don't know where he is or what happened. We only know he was last known to be in California. Also, we know that this tracking device only stops working if the wearer—" he stopped. Remus had gone white and rigid. He knew the end of the sentence. He wished he didn't, but he did.

"He can't be. It had to have stopped working for another reason because he's not dead. I know he's not," Remus shook his head, not believing his own words.

"We will search for him, but until he's found, he's considered dead_._I'm sorry. We will be starting the searches tomorrow."

"Do Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks know about this?" Remus asked.

"Yes," the headmaster nodded.

"We can't tell Harry. He can't know. Not yet," Remus stated.

"I know That's why I didn't want Harry to come," Dumbledore agreed.

"He's staying at the Burrow for the weekend. Does Bill know? What about Arthur? Andromeda?" Remus asked quickly.

"Calm yourself. Yes, they all know. Arthur said he would tell Molly tonight."

"Tonight? No, he can't. Harry's staying at the Burrow for the weekend. If Arthur tells Molly while Harry's there, he'll find out. You know Harry. He's too smart. He'll find out."

"Calm yourself, Remus," Dumbledore repeated. "Arthur said he'll make sure to tell Molly at a time when Harry can't find out."

"How many searches will there be?" Remus wondered, finally calming slightly.

"Three. They will be starting at nine tomorrow morning," Dumbledore replied.

"I want to look myself. Just for a couple days," Remus said suddenly.

"You can't, Remus. You have Harry."

"He can stay with the Weasleys. Just for two days. Two days only, I swear. He'll be fine with the Weasleys," Remus answered.

"No. If you leave, Harry will know there's something going on. You can't leave. You have to stay with Harry," Dumbledore told him.

"If I don't try, who's to say the others will find Sirius? I have to at least try. If not for myself then for Harry," Remus responded.

"You have to stay with Harry. You can't leave him. The two of you need to just stay home and I'll keep you filled in," Dumbledore stated and Remus could hear in his voice that the discussion was over. There was no point arguing.

"All right. Thank you, Albus. I'll talk to you soon. Bye," Remus stood, stepped in the fire, and Flooed home.

Remus went to the kitchen and grabbed a butterbeer, sitting at the table. He couldn't believe what was happening. The exact thing Harry was worried about happening, was happening. Remus gulped his drink. He wasn't going to sit and wait like he had when they were looking for Harry. He was going to look for Sirius himself for a couple days. He grabbed parchment and a quill.

_Molly,__  
><em>_Could Harry stay with you for a couple more days? I'm doing something and it would be better if Harry stayed with you. Thanks.__  
><em>_-Remus_

Remus sealed the letter then went to Harry's room for Hedwig. He tied the letter to the owl's leg and sent her off. He then went to his bedroom and started packing a bag. He pulled out his pocket watch and saw Sirius' hand was actually sitting in between 'lost' and 'dead'.

"That doesn't help!" Remus shouted and shoved the watch back into his pocket. He finished packing quickly and ran down the stairs. He grabbed and wrapped some food and put it in his bag. Then Hedwig flew through the kitchen window again.

_Remus,__  
><em>_Of course Harry can stay. Just call and tell me when you want him home.__  
><em>_-Molly_

"Good," Remus said to himself. He then wrote a note for Dumbledore.

_Albus,__  
><em>_I know you said I shouldn't go, but I had to. I'm doing this mostly for Harry. Molly's allowing him to stay at the Burrow for a couple more days. I swear it'll only be a couple days. I'm going straight to California. I'm sorry, sir. I'll be back soon.__  
><em>_-Remus_

He put the note on the table, walked outside to the park, then Apparated away.

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Mr. Weasley called as he entered the house.<p>

"Welcome home, dear. Harry's staying over for a bit. He's staying a couple more days because Remus is busy. Remus'll be back on Tuesday," Mrs. Weasley told her husband.

"Are the kids around?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"No, Fred and George are at Lee Jordan's for the night and Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry are up in Ron's room. Why do you ask?" Molly replied.

"I talked to Dumbledore today. So did Bill. You remember Sirius went on that mission for the Order a couple weeks ago?" Mr. Weasley began.

"Yes, of course," Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"Just last night, Sirius' tracking device stopped. It only stops when the wearer is dead."

"Oh my!" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

"Dumbledore is starting about three search parties to look for Sirius. Remus and Dumbledore don't want Harry to know," Mr. Weasley finished.

"Poor Harry and Remus. I do hope they find Sirius," Mrs. Weasley sighed.

"They'll find him. We won't tell Ron, Hermione, Ginny, or the twins."

"Is Bill going to be helping in the search?"

"Yes, he will be."

"Hopefully Sirius is all right."

* * *

><p>"Glad you could come over, mate," Ron said to Harry as he watched Harry take his bishop.<p>

"Same. It's nice to be out of the house," Harry nodded. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny jumped when there was a crash followed by screaming downstairs.

"Fred and George," they said together and ran downstairs.

"Just because you are able to Apparate, does not mean you have to pop up everywhere instead of walking!" Mrs. Weasley was yelling at the twins as she cleaned up a broken plate and cup. The twins were smiling guiltily at their mother. She repaired the dish and cup and turned to her sons. "Just because you can Apparate and are now of age does not mean you have to use magic for everything! Both of you go put the hens away!"

"Yes, Mum," they mumbled and dragged their feet outside.

"Oh, I didn't know the four of you were there," Mrs. Weasley smiled at the kids standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Fred and George use magic again, Mum?" Ginny asked, sitting at the table.

"They decided to Apparate from the doorway to the kitchen. Appeared right behind me. I dropped a plate and cup. Boys are too careless with their magic," Mrs. Weasley sighed as the others sat as well. "Oh, Harry, dear. You'll be staying a couple more days," she added to Harry who frowned.

"Why?"

"Remus said he's busy with something and needs you to stay here. He'll be back on Tuesday."

"Back? Where's he going?" Harry was confused. What was so important that had Remus leaving Harry at the Burrow and not saying what was going on?

"I don't know where he's going, dear. Now, that's enough questions. Eat your dinner," the kids could hear the final tone in the woman's voice. They all looked at each other wondering what was going on. Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Harry finished eating in silence then went back to Ron's room.

"Where would Remus go without telling me? Why wouldn't he tell me? Why wouldn't your mum tell me? What's going on?" Harry asked quickly, pacing the bedroom. His friends didn't answer, knowing they were rhetorical questions. They just watched their friend pace.

"Harry, if you keep up this pacing, you're going to fall through into the living room," Ron stated. He put his hands up in defence when Harry stared at him. Harry pulled out his pocket watch.

"Weird. Remus is in between 'traveling' and 'lost' and Sirius is in between 'lost' and 'dead'. Dead?" Harry yelled, his eyes growing wide.

"Harry? Harry, you're white. Harry. You all right?" Ginny stated. Harry fell to his knees.

"He's dead? How is he dead?"

"You don't know he's dead, Harry. You said Sirius' hand is in between 'lost' and 'dead.' he might just be lost," Hermione told Harry.

"Dumbledore. Dumbledore will know. I have to see Dumbledore," Harry stood and ran down the stairs again. "Mrs. Weasley, I have to see Professor Dumbledore. I have to go to Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley was about to speak when the door opened.

"There will be no need to go to Hogwarts, my dear boy," Dumbledore said as he walked in.

"Professor, what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Ah, Harry. I do know but I cannot tell you," the headmaster sighed.

"Where's Remus?" Harry tried again.

"This I cannot tell you either, though I know."

Harry was getting mad. "Where's Sirius?"

"Harry, I know these things and I wish to tell you, but I cannot."

"Because Remus told you not to tell me," Harry guessed.

"I'm afraid so."

"Ugh!" Harry groaned loudly and angrily. "There's something going on with my uncles and I want to know! I should know! They're my uncles!" Harry said loudly, very angry.

"Dear, you will know. Just not yet. There's always a reason why your uncles don't tell you things right away. You know that," Mrs. Weasley stated.

"Yeah, I know. I'm going to go help Fred and George," Harry stalked out of the house to join the twins.

"Kids, go upstairs. Professor Dumbledore and I need to talk. Go," she shooed away the other children then sat down with Dumbledore. They started talking immediately, not knowing Ginny, Hermione, and Ron were listening through some of Fred and George's Extendable Ears.

* * *

><p>Harry made his way over to where the twins were. Instead of putting the hens in the chicken coop, they were lounging in the grass, chatting.<p>

"Hey, guys," Harry sighed, flopping on the ground with them as they sat up.

"What's up, mate?"

"I'm having things kept from me again. Dumbledore, Remus, and your mum all know the same thing and won't tell me."

"Hate it when that happens. Adults seem to think we can't handle knowing things," George stated and Harry nodded, sighing.

"You, Harry, should know more than most," Fred added.

"Why?" Harry frowned, understanding only a little.

"Because it's you. You need to know these things because of You-Know-Who. If you don't know this stuff, you're not going to know what to do when the time calls for it," George explained. He had a point.

"It's not like that'll make anyone tell me anything," Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Good point," George and Fred responded.

"Thanks," Harry said sarcastically.

The twins shrugged. "We tried," they said together. Harry rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Ron, Hermione, and Ginny sat in Ron's room, stunned. They hadn't spoken for almost fifteen minutes. They couldn't believe it. They had just heard Dumbledore tell Mrs. Weasley that Sirius was missing and assumed dead. They also heard that Remus had gone to California to search for a couple days while Dumbledore got the bigger search parties ready. Dumbledore, Remus, and Mrs. Weasley, along with the others, didn't want Harry or the other kids to know yet.<p>

"That's why Harry has to stay longer. Remus is gone," Hermione finally spoke.

"What do you think will happen when Harry finds out?" Ron stated.

"He'll be so sad and probably mad as well," Ginny answered.

"Should we tell Mum we know?" Ron wondered.

"I think so," Hermione nodded.

"But won't we get in trouble for eavesdropping?" Ginny frowned.

"We shouldn't, but if we do, oh well. She needs to know we know," Hermione replied. The others nodded and they went down the stairs. Mrs. Weasley had her back to the staircase as she finished up the dishes. Dumbledore had left about ten minutes earlier or more.

"'Mione, go. Go tell her."

"Why me?"

"Just go," they hissed at each other quietly on the stairs before pushing Hermione forward, the two red heads following.

"Umm, Mrs. Weasley?" Hermione started timidly.

"Yes, dear?" the woman turned and smiled at the young witch.

"We—we—we have to—uh—tell you something," Ron finally finished.

"What is it?"

"Mum, we overheard you and Professor Dumbledore talking. We know about Sirius, where Remus is, why Harry has to stay longer. We know it was wrong to listen to the conversation since you didn't want any of us kids to know. We're sorry for listening, but we're not sorry for finding out something we should have been told straight out," Ginny explained to her mother.

"Yes, it was indeed wrong for you three to listen but I'm also sort of relieved you three know. Now we just have to keep it from Harry because we can tell the twins."

"So what exactly happened?" Hermione asked and they sat at the table.

"Well, you know Sirius went on a mission for the Order. When he left, Professor Dumbledore had put a tracking device on him so they knew where he was. Well, just last night, it stopped working. He was last known to be in California. The device only stops working is—" Hermione finished for her.

"If the wearer dies," Mrs. Weasley nodded gravely. The kids stared at her and sighed.

"Remus has gone off for a couple days to see if he can find anything before the big search parties start picking up," Mrs. Weasley added.

"Oh no," Ginny said quietly. Then they heard the voices of Fred, George, and Harry growing closer to the house.

"Hey. Wanna play some Quidditch, Ron? Ginny?" George asked his siblings.

"Sure. Can we, Mum?" Ron asked his mother.

"Go ahead, but be careful," she nodded and they all ran to get their Quidditch gear. The lot charged down the stairs again and out the door.

* * *

><p>"All right, the teams will be me and Ron, George and Ginny, and Harry, Seeker. We've got a Quaffle, one Bludger, and the Snitch. Let's get this game going," Fred explained, smiling. All the balls were released and they began the game. Ginny scored on Ron four times. Harry watched as Ron went for a goal, but missed by inches. Harry flew down to Ginny, still searching for the tiny, golden ball.<p>

"Brilliant saves, Ginny. You're a great Keeper," Harry grinned at her and she beamed.

"Thanks, Harry. Oh, watch out. Ron's coming back," Harry pulled up a bit and watched Ron advance on Ginny's goal posts. After a few seconds, Ron threw the ball and scored his first goal.

"Fantastic, mate!" Harry called to Ron who grinned. He looked around then saw a glint of gold. "Gotcha," he muttered and sped towards the golden ball. He grabbed at it and felt the ball enclose in his hand. The game stopped and he held the Snitch up, grinning, cheering, and laughing. He was so distracted by his triumph that he didn't hear, nor see, the Bludger heading straight for him.

Hermione gasped. So did Ginny.

Ron's and the twins' eyes were wide as they stared at the Bludger.

"Harry! Look out!" Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Fred, and George all yelled at Harry. It was too late. The Bludger had hit Harry in the back of his head, knocking his glasses off, knocking him out, and sending him to the ground. They all flew to the ground and huddled around the motionless form of Harry.


	27. Chapter 27

"Is he dead?" Ron asked.

"No, he's breathing," Ginny answered.

Hermione lifted Harry's head onto her lap. She withdrew her right hand and everyone looked at her. When she put her hand under her friend's head, she had felt something warm and sticky. When she raised her hand, it was almost covered in sticky blood. "Oh my God!"

"Fred! Get Mum!" George said loudly and the other twin ran to the house.

"Hermione, you have to keep pressure on Harry's head where he's bleeding. We need to stop the bleeding," Ron stated. Everyone stared at him. "What? I've gotten hurt enough and so has Harry to know what to do," he shrugged. Hermione took a deep breath and put her already bloody hand back under Harry's head.

Finally, Fred came running with Mrs. Weasley on his heels.

"Oh no. What happened?" she asked, kneeling beside the unconscious fifteen year old.

"A Bludger hit him in the back of his head. He's bleeding badly. I'm trying to stop the bleeding," Hermione said, her voice quieting.

"We'll get him inside. Keep your hand on his head, dear," she added to Hermione as she levitated Harry. Hermione kept her hand where it was, moving the other there as well. They brought Harry inside where they gently placed him on the table.

"Can you do anything, Mum?" Ron asked, full of concern, like the others, for his best mate.

"No, I can't. I have to call Madam Pomfrey," Mrs. Weasley bustled to the kitchen, only to return a few moments later with the school nurse.

"Oh my," the nurse gasped. "What happened?"

"A Bludger hit him in the back of the head. He's bleeding badly, Poppy. Hermione is trying to subside the bleeding a bit," Mrs. Weasley repeated the kids' story.

"You may let go now, Miss Granger," Pomfrey told Hermione when she went beside the younger witch. She nodded feebly and slowly removed her hands, now covered in her friend's blood.

"Come on. Let's go clean up," Ron whispered to Hermione, who nodded. Ginny, who had gotten a bit of blood on her hands, followed. They were gone for a bit as they struggled to get all the blood off Hermione. When they were finally clean, they walked back to the kitchen, just in time to hear Madam Pomfrey speak.

"I have completely healed his wound and he will be absolutely fine. Mind you, he will have quite the headache. Just give him a potion for headaches and he'll be good as new," Pomfrey told Mrs. Weasley.

"Thank you so much, Poppy. Goodbye," the woman smiled as the nurse disappeared. "Let's move him to the sofa," she added to the kids. They nodded and assisted Mrs. Weasley in transferring Harry from the kitchen table to the sofa.

"Thank goodness he's all right," Hermione stated.

"Yes. Fortunate thing. Very fortunate," Mrs. Weasley agreed quickly. The kids stayed by Harry's side for twenty-five minutes before he finally started to stir.

"He's waking," Ginny whispered and they all watched their friend wake up, his eyes slowly opening.

"What the bloody hell happened? I have an awful headache—whoa! Hermione!" Harry groaned then gasped for air as Hermione hugged him, keeping hold of him in a death grip. "Can't—breathe—" Harry gasped and Hermione let go, flushing.

"Take this, Harry, dear. It'll help the headache. So glad you're all right," Mrs. Weasley said, walking quickly to Harry, passing him a potion, and leaving the room in a rush. Harry frowned but drained the potion. His headache immediately ceased tremendously, the pounding in his ears disappearing.

"So, what happened?" Harry repeated.

"You got hit in the back of your head by the Bludger. It was brutal, mate. You were bleeding heavily on your head," Ron answered.

"Oh man. When Remus finds out, he'll go insane," Harry groaned.

"He'll just be glad you're alive," Hermione replied. Harry sighed. He knew Remus would be glad he was all right, but also knew he might forbid Quidditch, for fear Harry will get hurt again.

"All right. Time for you six to head off to bed. It's already ten-thirty. Go on," Mrs. Weasley put the six kids to bed.

"Night, Fred, George. You too, Hermione and Ginny," both Harry and Ron said to the others.

"Ron, what do you think is really going on with Remus and Sirius?" Harry asked as they changed to their pajamas.

Ron froze. He hadn't been expecting the question. "I—I—well, I'm sure everything's fine. They're probably just checking some stuff out," Ron finally answered. He avoided Harry's eyes as Harry frowned at Ron's behaviour when asked the question. "Well, night, Harry," Ron went to bed.

"Night," Harry went to bed as well. He lay awake for hours, thinking, finally drifting to sleep at two-thirty in the morning.

* * *

><p>Two days later, Remus finally came home and Harry left the Burrow.<p>

"Harry! I missed you, pup," Remus said as he hugged the teen tightly, kissing the side of his head.

"Hi, Remus. I missed you too. Where did you go?" Harry wondered as they parted and sat closely on the sofa.

"That doesn't matter right now. Just doing stuff. How was your stay at the Burrow?"

"It was fun. That reminds me. Now, don't go berserk, okay? We played Quidditch and I got hit by the Bludger in the head, but I'm all right, I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley healed it and everything," Harry told his uncle briskly.

"You got hit by a Bludger in the head?" Remus repeated. Harry nodded. "You sure you're all right?" Harry nodded again. "Good," he hugged Harry again who frowned deeply.

"Wait, that's it?"

"What's it?"

"I got a Bludger to the back of my head. You're not even going to forbid Quidditch for like a couple days or something?" Harry was confused. What was going on?

"Of course not. Harry, I'm just happy to see you're all right. Just because you accidentally got hit, doesn't mean I'm going to take Quidditch away from you. I'd only do that if had like asked the twins to hit it at you."

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Remus?" Harry frowned.

"Do you want me to ban Quidditch?"

"No, but—"

"Then stop complaining about how I'm not taking away Quidditch," Remus smiled. Harry smiled back. "How is your summer work coming along?"

"Remus," Harry groaned.

"What? I was just asking," Remus shrugged.

"Well, I've been at the Burrow for the past four days and it's not like I brought it over there with me. I'll do it, I swear," Harry stated.

"Well, if you'll do it, then do some right now," Remus replied. Harry opened his mouth to speak but apparently thought better of it.

"Fine," he grumbled and stalked up the stairs, muttering about how he hated school. Remus chuckled. While waiting for Harry, Remus thought back to his search for Sirius. He had to tell Dumbledore what he had found. How he was going to tell Harry, he had no idea. Just then, Harry came down with a load of homework.

"I meant work on one assignment, not multi-task," Remus raised an eyebrow.

"This is one assignment. This is for History of Magic. I have a lot of homework this summer. I have two essays for History, one really long and complicated on for both Transfiguration and Potions, an essay for Creatures, two for Charms, something for Divination, a couple star charts for Astronomy, an essay for Defence, and an essay for Herbology," Harry told Remus all in one breath.

"I remember getting a lot more summer work after OWLs. Sirius, James, and I, even me, complained about all the work. We had two to three essays for all of our classes. Sirius and James actually tried to burn all their books, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter put charms on them so they couldn't be destroyed. Must have known they would end up trying something," Remus reminisced and Harry laughed.

He loved stories about his parents, grandparents, and when the Marauders and Lily were in school. Of course, he didn't care much for Pettigrew or Summer. The names Michelle Ambers and Amanda Clark had come up. When asked who they were, Sirius and Remus told Harry the stories.

Michelle had been with Remus and helped him get through the deaths of the Potters. She ended up killing herself after the shock of the deaths had finally sunk in. Amanda wanted to be with James and got really jealous when it was Lily he married and had a child with. She had tried to kill James and Lily on numerous occasions and tried to kidnap Harry a couple weeks after he was brought home from the hospital. No one ever heard from Amanda after the attempted kidnapping.

Harry wished he could have met Michelle and asked if he could meet Amanda. Both his guardians forbade it, stating they didn't know where she was. Harry had told them he knew they were lying and they admitted they were. They said they didn't want to risk anything happening. Harry didn't push it after that.

"So what's this essay about?" Remus finally spoke again.

"Some battle between a couple witches that happened in the fifteenth century and lasted for two years," Harry answered.

"All you have to do is read and write."

"There's like three pages just on that though. It's not like it's interesting either," Harry complied.

"Just do the work, pup," Remus grinned and Harry sighed.

"Fine."

While Harry worked on his homework, Remus wrote a letter to Kingsley then worked on his werewolf cases. After an hour and a half, Harry spoke.

"Look, I wrote over half of my essay. Can I write to Ron and Hermione?"

"You were just with them this morning and the last four days," Remus frowned.

"So?"

"So," he repeated. "So what could possibly have happened in the last four hours? You only left there at around six. It's only ten-thirty."

"Fine. Can I wrote to someone else then? Like Seamus or Dean?"

"Go ahead. Write to Luna as well."

"Okay," Harry ran up to his room. Remus waited a couple minutes to make sure Harry was in his room then called Dumbledore to the cottage.

"What is it, Remus?" Dumbledore wondered.

"Sir, Sirius is somewhere around LA. I know it. That's where I found this. I found his pocket watch. If he's not there then he got off course, which means he could very well be in Phoenix or Salt Lake City!" Remus said to the headmaster loudly. The older man stayed silent. Remus saw his eyes divert away from his own and focus on something behind him. He turned. There was Harry, standing on the bottom stair, staring at them. "Harry—"

"You lied, Remus. You said Sirius was fine. What happened?" Harry frowned.

Remus sighed. "He went missing three nights ago. His tracking device stopped working. We don't know what happened or where he is. There are many searches happening though. We're going to find him, pup," Remus told the boy.

"I don't believe it. Sirius goes missing, he could be dead, and you lied to me about it," Harry shook his head, still staring at Remus and Dumbledore.

"I wanted to tell you but I didn't know how," Remus stated.

"So you lied instead?" Harry shouted.

"I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Don't be. Just find Sirius and don't lie if he ends up dead or hurt," Harry ran to his room.

"I knew I should have told him at the beginning," Remus sighed, turning back to Dumbledore who had been silent.

"My dear boy, Harry would have been angry either away. More so with the lie but with the truth he still would have been angry," Dumbledore said simply. "I must now go. I will have a search go to Los Angeles and look around. Goodbye," Dumbledore went to the fire and disappeared.

Remus groaned as he looked to the ceiling when he heard loud music sounding out. Harry had turned on his Wireless Wizarding System and had decided to blast it. One of his many ways to deal with his anger.

It was true. Though he had promised to control it, Harry had problems with his anger. It was much better, but he still had a bad temper at times and when he snaps, he can't control it. No one can except Sirius. Remus could a little bit but not as well as Sirius. He figured it was because Sirius had had temper issues as well. Growing up with his pure-blood-Voldemort-and-Dark-Side loving family. Remus didn't care that it was Sirius who could help control Harry's anger and not him.

He helped calm Harry down after a nightmare. Sirius and Remus were able to do some different things with Harry and other things the same. They didn't care about the differences. They just did what they had to to keep Harry calm, safe, and happy.

Remus sighed and got himself a small glass of wine. Harry had many ways of dealing with his anger. He would go to his room and blast his music, hit things, break things, yell at other people, stay silent, and sometimes he would go for a walk. So far, the most extreme had been when he got so mad, he punched about five holes in his wall then put his fist through his door. Remus drained his glass, sighed again, then went up to Harry's room. He knocked on the door but immediately knew it was useless. He could knock on the door with a sledge hammer and Harry still wouldn't hear over the blasting music. Remus opened the door, walked in past Harry's bed to the stereo, and turned it off.

"Harry, I know you're mad at me for not telling you about Sirius," Remus started, moving slowly towards the teen on the bed.

"That's an understatement," Harry snorted.

Remus breathed heavily. He sat on the bed. "Harry, I didn't want you to worry more than you already were. That's why I didn't tell you. I was going to tell you when I learned more."

"It's not just that you didn't tell me at the beginning, it's the fact that you lied about it, Remus. Even though you were trying to protect me, you still lied," Harry replied.

Remus sighed. "I know, and I'm really sorry, Harry. We're going to find him. We're pretty sure he's around LA."

"And if he got off course, how do you find him?"

"I don't know. I'm doing another search with Kingsley, Tonks, and Moody."

"It's just, stuff like this keeps happening. I'm not blaming myself this time. I'm blaming Professor Dumbledore."

"What?"

"Remus, he has let me down a lot. This is the third time this year. First he said Hogsmeade was safe, but look what happened. Death Eaters came and I almost died. Then he said the school was safe, but a Death Eater got in. I got taken and I almost died again. Now he sends Sirius on a mission and says he'll be fine. His tracking device stops and now we don't know what happened or where he is. He might be dead since that's the only way that thing stops working," Harry said loudly. Was Harry losing all faith in the headmaster? "He keeps screwing up."

"Look, I'm not even going by Dumbledore. I'm doing my own thing. I'm going to find him."

"And when he comes home, I get to slap him for being a moron."

"Go ahead," they laughed.

"Look, I'm sorry for lying to you," Remus apologized.

"It's all right."

"Come on. You need to finish your essay," Remus stated.

"Ugh! Do I have to?"

Remus nodded.

"Ugh! Fine," Harry grumbled. Remus chuckled as Harry glared at him and they went to the living room.

* * *

><p>It was four days after Remus had come home and there had been no new news on Sirius.<p>

Remus and Harry were sitting in the living room waiting for Dumbledore, Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, McGonagall, Molly, Arthur, and Bill to arrive. Dumbledore had called an Order meeting to discuss Sirius.

"It has been four days since we lost track of Sirius. We have been trying very hard to find him—"

"Then why haven't you found him yet, Professor?" Harry suddenly said.

"Harry, go upstairs. I'll call you when the meeting's over," Remus whispered in Harry's ear. Harry slightly nodded then went up to his room.

"As I was saying—" Dumbledore got cut off again, this time by a knock on the door.

"Sorry, Albus. I'll get it," Remus apologized. He went and opened the door. A beaten, scratched, cut, bruised, and bloody man fell into Remus' arms. He put the man carefully on the floor. "Damian Sanders? My God. What happened? Albus!"

"Death Eaters—Greyback—attack—Los Angeles," Sanders sputtered, spitting up some blood.

"What about Zack Taylor? What about Sirius?" Remus stated.

"Taylor—didn't—make it," Sanders was falling unconscious. "B—B—Black—Black—" the Auror was unconscious.

"Damn it. Albus, he needs help. Should we bring him to St. Mungo's?" Remus replied.

"No, we'll let him rest here. We'll get Poppy to look at him."

So they got Sanders in Sirius' bed and called for Madam Pomfrey.

"He's going to be fine. He'll wake up tomorrow. He's lucky. Any later and he wouldn't have made it," Pomfrey stated to the others.

"Thank goodness," Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Thank you, Poppy," Dumbledore thanked the nurse who went downstairs to Floo away. "We will come back tomorrow at nine-thirty in the morning and we will hear the story from Mr. Sanders," he added and everyone nodded. Remus nodded as well in understanding and agreement. Everyone left. Remus sighed, left the room, closed the door then went downstairs. He turned to the kitchen to see Harry already there.

"Hi, pup," Remus said, sitting down.

"Hi," he didn't look away from his Defence homework.

"Harry? Harry." Remus stated. "Harry!"

"Yeah?"

Remus groaned. He gently closed the book and took it. "Harry," he raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"What? I was doing homework if you didn't notice," Harry crossed his arms.

"Harry—"

"You know, that's the fifth time you've said my name in the last seven minutes."

"Harry—"

"Sixth."

"Harry!" Remus yelled. The teen went silent and looked to the table, fiddling with his quill.

"Sorry, Remus," he muttered.

Remus sighed a deep sigh. "It's fine," he gave the book back then went up the stairs, Harry staring after him. Harry dropped his gaze to his homework then pushed it away. He and Remus were going insane, but he was pretty sure Remus was losing it more than he was. Perfect.

* * *

><p>The next day, the other witches and wizards arrived just as Sanders was waking up. Remus told Harry to go to his room for the time they were talking with Sanders.<p>

"Sanders. How are you?" Tonks asked.

"I'm fine, thanks. Better than I was yesterday," the Auror responded.

"Mr. Sanders, could you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore stated.

"Of course, sir," Sanders nodded. "Well, after about two or three days in LA, we finally left. We were just walking through Long Beach. We were almost in Santa Ana when we suddenly got attacked. At first we weren't sure what was happening. You see, it was night and we only had the light from our wands. There was a group of people just standing still and staring at us. We weren't brought back to the situation until something lunged at Taylor. We knew right away that it was a werewolf. It wasn't just a werewolf. It was one of the most famous werewolves out there—"

"Fenrir Greyback," Remus whispered.

"Yes. He attacked Taylor. Taylor tried to fight. He fought hard. We tried to help but we couldn't Greyback ended up killing him. Then the Death Eaters advanced. We fought. I just got away though I was dying. All I know is that Sirius was unconscious and was bring taken in the direction of San Diego. I also didn't see him breathing," Sanders finished.

Molly gasped; Tonks looked to the floor sadly like Kingsley; Moody didn't appear to do anything; McGonagall failed to stifle a gasp and her face fell; Arthur looked around like Bill; Remus' breath and voice caught in his chest painfully.

Behind the group, the door slowly and quietly closed shut. Harry had heard everything. He was frozen. He forced his legs to bring him back to his room. He fell onto his bed, he head swarming with thoughts. It wasn't until four a.m. that he fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>It was pushing a week since Sirius' disappearance. Harry mostly worked on his homework while Remus came and went. Harry still remembered what Sanders had said about Sirius. Sanders had gone home and back to work two days after he woke up. Remus had been searching and searching with Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks. Harry was worried. The others were too. How long would it be before Sirius was found? No one knew.<p>

* * *

><p>It was another week later. Sirius had been trying to figure out what had happened. He had woken up in a forest. He had his wand still but his beg and watch were gone. He didn't know where he was. Just as he was about to stand up, something hard and large made contact with his head. He was out cold again.<p>

* * *

><p>"That's it. He's dead. Sirius is dead. We'll never find him," Moody growled and Remus glared at him.<p>

"Look, I hate to admit it but you're probably right. I hate to believe it, but Sirius is probably dead, but until we can prove it, I'm not going to stop. I'm not stopping because of Harry. If it wasn't for that boy, I would have stopped since it's already close to being three weeks. Until I find Sirius, I'm not stopping. You can all give up, I don't care, but no one, not even Dumbledore can stop me," Remus said angrily, standing ip without knowing. They all stayed silent for several seconds.

"I'm going to help," Tonks stood up beside Remus.

"Me too," Kingsley also stood.

"Go ahead, but you can count on that when you find him, he'll be dead. Better tell the kid now instead of waiting until later," Moody limped out of the room. Remus groaned, sat down, and put his head in his hands.

"He has to be dead. It's already been two weeks without any sign of him," Remus said quietly and Tonks massaged his shoulders as Kingsley sat across from him.

"We're not going to stop until we find him, Remus," Kingsley stated.

"Remus, I can't sleep," Harry said from the doorway and Remus turned around. The boy's hair was messier than usual and he looked extremely tired. Remus motioned for the boy to come and Harry sat beside his uncle. Remus put an arm around the teen's shoulders and Harry rested against him. "Doesn't help that someone slammed the door," Harry added.

"Moody," Tonks and Kingsley said together.

"Harry, I hate to tell you this, but the searches for Sirius have stopped. We're the only three looking. We don't know about Dumbledore. We lost Moody a few minutes ago. I'm sorry, pup," Remus told Harry who sat up. "He's also been declared dead," he added and the teen lost his colour.

"He can't be dead. You haven't found him. He can't be," Harry shook his head.

"Harry, he—" the teen cut Kingsley off.

"No! He's not dead!" Harry shouted then ran upstairs.

"I cannot deal with this right now," Remus groaned.

"Remus, stay here with Kingsley. I'll go," Tonks stood and walked upstairs.

"Thanks, Tonks," Remus smiled gratefully at the witch.

* * *

><p>"Harry?" Tonks knocked on the door and walked in. "Harry? Wanna talk?" Tonks asked when she saw Harry sitting on his bed, holding his stuffed stag tightly.<p>

"He can't be dead," Harry said quietly, tears streaking his face.

"Harry, that's what the papers and Ministry are saying. Until we find him and prove he's dead or alive, Kingsley, Remus, and I aren't stopping. They're saying he's dead because it's been almost three weeks and there hasn't been any sign of him," Tonks stated, sitting on the bed.

"I just want him back," Harry sniffed.

"I know. We all do. We'll find him. Don't worry," Tonks hugged Harry tightly. "You should get to sleep. Remus will be up later. Night, Harry," Tonks stood and Harry lay down under the blankets, still clutching the stag. Tonks turned off the light, shut the door, and then went downstairs to rejoin the others.


	28. Chapter 28

After learning that Sirius was seen in the direction of San Diego, Remus had been planning a search with Kingsley and Tonks. It was Wednesday, two and a half weeks after Sirius disappeared, and Remus was desperate. He, Kingsley, and Tonks were leaving soon to look and Remus was running around the cottage. Harry was sitting on the bottom stair, staring at his uncle.

"Harry, you sure you want to stay here alone? You can stay with the Weasleys if you want," Remus stated to the teenager.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. Remus had said the same thing at least eight times. "I'll be fine, Remus. Really. I won't leave the cottage and Mrs. Weasley will check in probably every five minutes. I'll be fine."

Remus looked at him, very worried. "Okay. Well, I have to go. Bye, Harry. Love you. Behave. I want to come back to the cottage still standing," Remus hugged him and kissed the top of his head.

Harry laughed. "I'll try. Love you too. Bye," Harry smiled as Remus kissed his forehead, grabbed his bags, and then went outside and Disapparated.

Harry looked around. It was really quiet. He figured this is what it had been like when Harry was kidnapped. He sighed and went to make himself lunch.

* * *

><p>"So, we'll be going through San Diego. Only through the forests though. The Death Eaters wouldn't hide out in the city," Remus explained and they nodded. They disappeared. Seconds later they appeared in a forest.<p>

"Forests of San Diego," Tonks muttered.

"Let's go.

"So, how will we find him? Since you don't want to split up, and, frankly, neither do we," Kingsley replied.

"We just have to search. Apparently, there are a few large caves in this forest," Remus shrugged.

The others sighed. "Full steam ahead."

So they began trudging through the forest. They pushed past branches, ducked under and around them, the blue sky above them slowly disappearing as the forest thickened. They had been walking for about twenty minutes before they finally came across something.

"Up ahead!" Tonks pointed.

"Well, that's one cave out of a few," Remus muttered. "Come on. Let's check it out," they went to the cave and went inside.

"Ow!" Kingsley and Remus heard Tonks hiss.

"What?" Kingsley whispered into the darkness. The tiny light emitting from their wands wasn't much.

"Stubbed my toe on a rock," she answered. She almost could hear their eyes rolling. They explored the cave for fifteen minutes before confirming there was nothing to find.

"Let's keep going," Remus responded and they exited the cave.

They continued on their way, going deeper and deeper into the forest. They were in the forest for little over a half hour and they had come across two more caves, but had found nothing. Kingsley, Tonks, and Remus had traveled through the thickening forest for almost two hours and it was getting really dark. Their wand lights weren't doing much for them. Just as they were going to head out, Tonks tripped over something. At first, they thought it was a tree root, but when they turned and looked closely, they gasped at what they saw.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Harry. How's it goin'?" Fred or George asked. The Weasleys and Hermione had gone to the cottage to visit Harry, and mostly because Mrs. Weasley wanted to make sure Harry wasn't starving.<p>

"I'm all right. It's really quiet here between the times your mum checks in, which happens to be every ten minutes," Harry chuckled with the others. They were all sitting in Harry's bedroom. Harry was sitting on his bed with Ginny and Ron, Hermione was sitting in his chair that went with the desk, and Fred and George were sitting on the floor. Mrs. Weasley was downstairs making dinner. "I've gotten pretty far on my summer work with all my time," he added. He saw Hermione smile widely at the statement and rolled his eyes.

"'Mione over there's already done all of hers. Now she's nagging the rest of us to do ours," Ron jerked his head in Hermione's direction. She scowled and the others smirked.

"There's nothing wrong with finishing early," she countered.

"I still have a Potions essay, an essay for Charms, and a star chart for Astronomy. When Remus comes back and the whole Sirius thing cools off, Remus will help me," Harry stated. The Weasleys and Hermione forced their shocked expressions down. They hadn't heard Harry talk about Sirius so casually before his uncle vanished. "Besides, Sirius hasn't been gone long. About a week and a half," they frowned. What was going on? A few days earlier, Harry had been insane with worry over Sirius and he knew it had been almost three weeks…didn't he? They glanced at each other and thought. Harry did seem to be forgetting things and mixing things up lately. They looked back to their friend who was gazing at them all, curious. Clearly, he had seen them sneak glances at each other, each of them confused.

"Kids! Dinner!" Mrs. Weasley's voice called up, saving them all from explanation.

"Excellent," Ron grinned.

"Brilliant," the twins echoed.

"Come on," Ginny pulled on Harry's hand and he followed, Hermione right beside them.

"Looks incredible, Mum," George stated and they all began eating. There was a quiet chatter going around that Harry didn't join. He was eating his dinner in silence and staring into space, his expression blank.

"Oi, Harry. Harry!" he broke out of his trance-like state when Fred called him.

"What?" Harry said with more force than he had intended.

"We were wondering how you're feeling since Sirius is coming home again after three weeks." It was obvious to the others, but not Harry, that Fred was trying to tell Harry it had been three weeks, not one.

"What do you mean, three weeks? It's only been a week and a half," Harry furrowed his eyebrows with a large amount of confusion.

"Mate, it hasn't been only a week. It's been three," Ron replied.

"No. I have it marked down, come on. I'll show you." Harry, still frowning, led his friends back to his room. "See, it's been…three…weeks. How? It's impossible!" Harry stated when he saw his calendar.

"It's been three weeks, Harry," Hermione remarked.

"I don't understand. I—I guess I was counting wrong," Harry stated, but his friends could tell he didn't believe that.

They continued eating until all the food was gone, then the Weasleys and Hermione left. When they left, Harry went to sit in the living room. He was confused. He could have sworn it had only been a week and a half.

* * *

><p>They had carried the unconscious body of Sirius back to one of the caves they had searched. They had started a fire and began healing Sirius the best they could before bringing him home.<p>

"He's barely alive but he's hanging on," Tonks stated. Kingsley was stoking the fire and Remus was just healing Sirius' broken arm.

"We need to get him home, Remus. It's getting dark," Kingsley replied.

"I know. Let me just fix this one deep gash," Remus nodded. He healed a large gash on Sirius' leg. "Okay. Let's go," they extinguished the fire then walked out into the forest. Remus help to his friend tightly and Apparated away, Kingsley and Tonks following. They appeared in Hogsmeade where they conjured a stretcher for Sirius and floated him to the hospital wing.

"Poppy, help Sirius. Please. He's slowly dying right now. Kingsley and Tonks, stay here with Sirius. I have to go to Dumbledore," Remus answered. They nodded and he left for the headmaster's office.

"Enter," Remus entered the office." How may I help, Remus?"

"Sir, come with me. I've found Sirius. He's in the hospital wing," Remus told Dumbledore.

"Let's go," Dumbledore stood and they walked back to the hospital wing. When they arrived, Madam Pomfrey was hovering over Sirius with her wand out, healing Sirius. Kingsley and Tonks were sitting on a bed a little way away, whispering.

"What's the damage, Poppy?" Remus muttered. He was losing his voice looking at and thinking of his best friend and thinking of Harry.

"Sprained ankle, four broken ribs, bad gash on the back of his head. He got hit in the head with something. He had been getting hit with Cutting Curses," Pomfrey said, moving Sirius' open shirt aside, revealing cuts on his chest. "He has a small concussion and the rest is all minor cuts and bruises," she finished. Remus sighed and nodded.

"Let me go!" someone yelled. Remus ran into the corridor. Bill Weasley was holding Harry back. His hands were on Harry's chest and shoulder and Harry was yelling, and struggling. "Bill, let me see Sirius! Let me go! Remus, make him let me go. I want to see Sirius," Harry told Remus when he saw his uncle.

"Remus?" Bill replied.

"No. Harry, go sit in the Great Hall. Go," Remus stated quietly.

Harry stopped struggling. "What?"

"Go to the Great Hall. You can see Sirius after. I'll be in the Hall in a minute. Go," Remus repeated. Harry looked ready to argue but he didn't. He turned and walked to the Hall.

"You're gonna pay for that," Bill said.

Remus sighed. "I know. I'll be back in a few minutes," he walked away.

* * *

><p>In the Great Hall, Harry was sitting at Gryffindor table. He had his head in his hand and was tracing the lines in the wooden table with his other hand.<p>

Remus sat beside him. "How did you know Sirius was here?"

"Bill had come over to tell Mrs. Weasley and I overheard him tell her," Remus didn't say anything. "How is he?"

"Much better than you were but still bad," Remus spoke quietly. He heard Harry's voice catch. He wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulders and Harry leaned against him. Remus ran his other hand through Harry's hair and kissed his head. "Want to see Sirius?"

"Yeah," they walked back to the wing. Sirius was healed and just needed rest. Harry and Remus took seats by the bed.

* * *

><p>"Poppy, how long does he have to stay?" Remus wondered.<p>

"Maximum three days," she answered. He nodded.

"Thank you, Poppy," Remus turned away from the nurse as she walked off to her office. When he turned back to Sirius and Harry, he saw Harry staring out the window. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"What's up, pup?"

"Nothing, I thought—I just thought I saw a large snake outside. I swear it was there," Harry frowned. So did Remus.

He looked out the window. "There's nothing there, pup."

Harry was going to answer but suddenly stopped.

_"I'm watching you," _a hushed voice said. Harry jumped up, knocking his chair to the floor.

"Harry?" Remus' eyes grew wide with shock and alarm.

"Didn't you hear that? That voice?" Harry stated.

"What voice? Harry, sit down. Harry, you're scaring me. Sit down," Harry slowly picked up the chair and sat down again. Remus could see he was edgy now. Then the doors to the Wing opened and Dumbledore walked in. "Hello, Albus."

"Hi, sir," Harry muttered.

"Hello. Remus, I have something to run by you. I'll tell you here because it has to do with Harry," the headmaster sat and Harry's head snapped up at his words.

"What is it?"

"I feel Harry should learn Occlumency. I know it will only take a couple weeks and he'll have mastered it. Voldemort is a larger threat now and we need to take extra precautions. If he doesn't learn, I guarantee Voldemort will place something in Harry's head and trick him to get him," Dumbledore explained.

"Sir, Occlumency takes a lot of skill. How doyou know it will only take a couple weeks?" Remus furrowed his eyebrows.

"I know because with his strength and skill, it will take less time. I know he can do it. He must."

Remus looked at Harry who was confused. "Occlumency is something some wizards learn to block their minds from unwanted thoughts. If you learned, we would have you use it to block Voldemort and nightmares out of your mind. It takes lots of strength and skill," Remus explained to Harry. He turned back to Dumbledore. "Who would teach him?"

"When Sirius wakes up, you three have a choice. Severus, myself, or you," he said, referring to Remus.

"Me?" Dumbledore nodded. "I—I've only really read about it. I've only ever done it myself before Michelle died."

"Exactly. Remus, you know how to do it. You know what to do. You would be able to teach him easily. Being family and close as you are, will make it easier. You don't have to decide until Sirius wakes up," Dumbledore responded. "Now, I do have to talk with Remus about something privately," he looked at Harry.

"O—okay," he stuttered and slowly stood, keeping his eyes on Sirius.

"Albus, how about we go out into the corridor. Harry can stay here with Sirius," Remus suggested, seeing Harry's hesitation.

"Of course," the older man smiled and they went into the hall, Harry sitting back down.

"Is everything all right, sir?" Remus asked when they were in the corridor.

"I'm afraid there is something Harry's trying to resist but it is slowly taking over his mind. I do not know what it is so I don't know how to stop it. I'm hoping Occlumency will help him fight it and stop it," Dumbledore stated and Remus stared at him.

"Oh. Well, I'm sure Occlumency will work. I should get back to Harry and Sirius. Thank you, Albus, and I will inform you of our decision," Remus said. Dumbledore inclined his head slightly, smiled, then walked away as Remus went back to the hospital wing. He stopped in the doorway and gazed softly at Harry and Sirius. He saw Harry tense slightly as his godfather stirred.

"He should be awake tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow night," Pomfrey said, making Remus jump. He hadn't seen her walk over to him.

"Oh. Thanks, Poppy. Harry will be happy to hear that. After Sirius wakes up, when about can he come home?" Remus wondered.

"If he wakes up tomorrow afternoon, then he can leave tomorrow night or the next morning. If he wakes up tomorrow night, then he can leave either the next morning or afternoon. He will be home with you two again soon," Pomfrey smiled warmly.

Remus smiled back. "Thanks," he walked over to Harry and sat down again. "Sirius should wake up tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow night. He'll be able to go home soon," he said conversationally.

"Great."

"Do you know who you want to teach you Occlumency yet?"

"You. I want you to teach me," Harry answered and Remus stared at him. "What? I know you know a lot about it and I think you'd be the best to teach me. Like Dum—like Professor Dumbledore said, we're family and close so it'll be easier. We both also know that Sirius will choose you too. It's not too hard to figure that out," Harry told him. Remus continued staring, not speaking. "Look, you both hate Professor Snape and so do I. None of us trust him and we both know Sirius is losing his trust in Professor Dumbledore. You're the best choice, Remus. We both know it."

"I don't know, Harry. I have to talk with Sirius," Remus answered and Harry nodded, sighing. They didn't talk for the rest of the night. At around midnight, Harry fell asleep, his head on Remus' shoulder. Not knowing he was doing it, Remus, his arm around Harry, began to lightly stroke the boy's arm. At around two in the morning, Remus fell asleep too.

* * *

><p>He might have been able to sleep longer but woke up when he felt someone stroking his hair. Harry groaned and sat up. Somehow he had ended up resting his arms in the bed and putting his head in them.<p>

"Hey, kiddo," a familiar voice whispered softly in Harry's ear.

Harry sat up quickly and turned to the bed to see Sirius awake and looking at him. "Sirius. You're awake."

"Yeah. I have been for a few hours now," Sirius nodded, smiling.

"Wait, what time is it?"

"It's ten after one. You must have been really tired. Haven't been sleeping?"

"Not really," Harry shrugged.

"How come?"

"Well, I was worried about you and nightmares."

"Remus told me you were having nightmares almost every night," Sirius frowned.

"Yeah. Hey, where is Remus?" Harry asked, realizing it was just him and Sirius in the Wing.

"He went to talk to Dumbledore."

"About?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"About Remus teaching you Occlumency. We talked already and he had to talk to Dumbledore."

"Oh. I knew you would choose Remus," Harry stated. "I'm not hungry. Thanks," he suddenly said.

"What?"

"You asked if I wanted something to eat. I'm not hungry," Harry replied.

"I never asked you that, kiddo. I didn't say anything," Sirius shook his head.

"Oh," Harry frowned. "I swore you—I—I guess I was hearing things," Sirius could tell Harry didn't believe that. It was quiet then Madam Pomfrey walked over.

"Time for your potions, Mr. Black."

"Oh, come on, Poppy. I'm fine. I don't need any more potions," Sirius groaned.

"Stop whining, Padfoot, and take your potions. Or do we have to strap you to the bed and force-feed you?" Remus said as he entered the Hospital Wing. Harry laughed and Sirius slapped him playfully on the shoulder. Sirius sighed and took the potions.

"Wasn't so bad, was it, Sirius?" Harry smirked.

"Look who's talking. You'll only take potions if you're unconscious," Sirius answered.

"No, I'll only see Healers unconscious. I have to take potions like every night."

"Would you two stop arguing? You hate potions and you hate Healers. You both have a phobia of hospitals and anything to do with healing," Remus grinned at their expressions.

"Mr. Black, you are free to go when you want. Just make it sometime today," Pomfrey told Sirius. Remus and Harry stifled laughs. They knew the nurse was glad to release him.

"Come on, Sirius. Let's go," Remus grinned. He stood with Harry and Sirius and they Flooed back home.

"It's good to be home," Sirius sighed.

"I'm glad you're back," Harry hugged Sirius tightly. He kissed Harry's forehead. Remus smiled softly.

"So, Harry, about me teaching you Occlumency—"

"What's Occlumency?" Harry asked.

"Harry, I told you yesterday," Remus frowned. Harry seemed to be forgetting a lot.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. Occlumency is something some learn to be able to block out unwanted thoughts. I told you that if you learned, you would use it to block out Voldemort and nightmares," Remus furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh, and are you gonna teach me? Sirius said you were talking to Dumbledore about it."

"Yes, I will be teaching you. We'll be starting on Sunday," Remus nodded.

"Great," Harry smiled. Remus was looking at him curiously. Just then, there was a loud scream outside then a knock on the door and a loud buzzing noise started.

"What's that noise?" Harry asked, his hands over his ears.

"It's our alarm. It goes off if a Death Eater gets inside the wards," Sirius replied. There was another small scream and knock. Remus, with his wand out, opened the door. A woman stumbled into Remus' arms.

"Summer?" the three said together. She was sobbing and covered in blood.

"Why are you here? How did you get here through the wards?" Sirius asked.

"Death Eaters—come. They'll be—here—in—three—minutes," she lost all consciousness.


	29. Chapter 29

"Damn it. Come on. We have to leave. We'll go back to Grimmauld Place. Let's go," Remus told the others. They nodded and started towards the fireplace, Summer in Remus' arms. Just as they were about to Floo, a side of the cottage blew apart and a fire started. Smoke and flames filled the cottage, making it almost impossible to see and extremely hot. They looked towards the flames and vaguely saw the silhouettes of Death Eaters.

"Come on. We'll go out the back. Hurry," Sirius said and they started to the back door. Remus and Sirius made it out with Summer and they ran to the hill near the cottage, but soon saw Harry was missing.

"Where's Harry?" Remus asked, worried. They looked back to the cottage. "No," he whispered. Then Sirius ran to the burning cottage. "Sirius! No! Come back! Sirius!" he called but his friend ignored him.

* * *

><p>Harry screamed and kicked as Lucius pinned him down on the floor. He could feel the heat and flames closing in on him.<p>

"We got you and this time you'll die," Lucius sneered.

Harry yelled again. He saw some of the flames almost touching his left hand. He looked to his right and saw a kitchen knife. He stretched as far as he could. He almost didn't reach, being pinned down, but he got it. He grabbed the blade as that's what was facing him and gasped. It was extremely hot and it started cutting into his hand. He turned it around, grabbed the handle, and then drove it into Lucius' shoulder.

The Death Eater yelled and got off Harry. He pulled the knife from his shoulder then lunged at Harry. The teen kicked and made contact with Lucius' head. He had a chance and he took it. He stood and ran in the direction of the back door. After a few seconds of running, he stopped and fell to the floor, coughing. He couldn't breathe or see because of all the smoke. He jumped when some beams fell behind him and also when someone touched his shoulder.

"Harry! Come on! Hurry!" Sirius covered Harry with his jacket and brought him outside and to the hill with Remus.

"Oh, Harry! Thank God! You okay?" Remus and Harry hugged tightly.

"I'm fine. I think my hand got a little burnt," Harry lifted his left hand.

Remus looked at it. "It's not too bad. Why do you have blood on you though? You don't have any cuts,"

"That's from Lucius. I stabbed him in the shoulder with a knife. It was the only way I could get free, otherwise I would have burned to death. It did cut my hand though."

"It's not too deep. It just needs to be cleaned. You'll be ok. Is that all?" Remus looked at the boy.

"That's all. I'm fine."

"Good," Remus ruffled Harry's hair and they turned to the cottage. It was gone.

"Everything's gone. All the pictures…everything," Sirius whispered, putting his arm around Harry, pulling him closer.

"Actually it's not. All our pictures are at number twelve," Harry said.

"What?"

"Yeah. When I was alone those few days, I knew something was going to happen soon, so I put every picture we have back into Grimmauld Place."

"How did you know something was going to happen?" Sirius asked.

"I had a nightmare where this exact same thing happened," Harry muttered.

"Okay, we'll talk after. Let's get to Hogwarts. Summer needs a nurse. Come on," Remus disappeared with Summer and Sirius with Harry. They appeared in Hogsmeade and walked up to the school.

"Poppy! Help, please!" Remus called as he set Summer on a bed. "Sirius, can you go get Dumbledore?" Sirius nodded and left just as Pomfrey walked in.

"Did one of you hurt yourselves _again__?__"_she assumed. "Oh. Oh my. What happened?" she said when she saw Harry and Summer. Harry was covered in ask, his left hand slightly burnt, and his right hand bloody. Summer was, of course, unconscious and also covered in blood.

"Fire at the cottage," Remus said simply.

Pomfrey nodded. "Okay, Mr. Potter, into a bed, please."

"But—but—"

"Harry, get into bed," Remus stated. Harry scowled and got into the bed beside Summer. Before looking over Summer, Pomfrey did a quick scan over Harry.

"Mr. Potter, what did you do to your hand?"

"Dunno," Harry shrugged.

"Harry, it just happened. You said you cut yourself with the knife," Sirius said as he arrived, with Dumbledore, at Remus' side.

"Oh, right. Yeah, it was a kitchen knife, Madam Pomfrey," Harry nodded. Sirius and Remus exchanged glances.

"Would you three like to explain what happened?" Dumbledore stated. Remus and Sirius went and sat on the bed with Harry while Pomfrey went to look over Summer. "Now, what happened?" the headmaster asked, sitting on the bed beside Harry's, facing them.

"We had just gotten home actually. We had been talking and then we heard a scream and a knock on the door. The alarm for Death Eaters inside the wards went off. There was another scream, another knock, so I opened the door, my wand in hand, of course. Summer fell through the door and was practically unconscious. She said, before she blacked out, that Death Eaters were going to be at the cottage in three minutes. Then she was out. We were about to Floo to Grimmauld Place when one wall completely blew apart and fire started. We decided to go out the back door when we saw the Death Eaters, so we did. Sirius, Summer, and I made it to the hill but saw Harry wasn't with us," Remus explained almost the whole incident. He stopped and looked at Harry and stroked the boy's hair in comfort.

"When we saw Harry wasn't with us, we knew he must still have been in the cottage, so I went back. With all the smoke I didn't see him, I only heard screams, and then I heard coughing. I went forward a bit and saw Harry. I got to him just as a few beams fell behind him. So I got him, brought him to the hill, then we came here," Sirius finished telling.

Dumbledore nodded then turned to Harry." Harry, what happened when you were heading for the back door?"

Harry sighed. "Lucius Malfoy caught my sweater as I was running and pulled me back. He pinned me on the floor and wouldn't let me move. He said he got me and I was going to die this time. I saw and felt the fire at my left hand. Then I turned and looked to my right and saw a kitchen knife. I grabbed the blade because that's what was facing me. It cut into my hand," he held up his right hand that was now healed. "I turned it around and stabbed Lucius in the shoulder. He got off me and took the knife out then jumped at me again. I kicked at him and kicked his head. I finally was able to run so I did, but I stopped a few seconds after. I couldn't see. I couldn't breathe. Like Sirius said, just before he found me, some beams fell down right behind me, and then Sirius found me," Harry finished his part of the story.

"The cottage is gone. There's nothing left," Sirius added.

"You will have to go back to number twelve. We will talk with Summer when she wakes. I will call you when she wakes up, for now, you three go to number twelve and rest. You all need it," Dumbledore told them.

"Poppy, is Harry able to leave?" Remus asked. The nurse bustled over to Harry and did a quick check on him.

"He's fine. You may go," Pomfrey said then went back to Summer.

"I will call as soon as she wakes up," Dumbledore repeated and they nodded, then left. When they got to number twelve, they saw it was already furnished. They sat on the sofa.

"Why would Summer have been here?" Sirius stated.

"Dunno, and why did she warn us about the Death Eaters? Why would she bother?" Remus shrugged. Sirius was about to answer but stopped when he glanced at Harry. Remus looked at Harry too. The boy was clutching his scar and wincing in pain. "Harry?"

"Harry?" Sirius went over to Harry in the chair and kneeled in front of him. "What is it, kiddo?"

"Nothing, just—just a headache," Harry said, trying to take his hand from his head, but he couldn't. He just put it back, trying to slow the pain of his scar.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Remus asked.

"My scar hurts. A lot. Like before I got kidnapped," Harry replied.

"Come on. Maybe you should get some sleep. Moony told me you haven't been sleeping much."

"He's right. Let's go, pup," Remus nodded.

"But I'm not tired," Harry complied.

"Come on, kiddo," Sirius smiled as Harry slowly got up.

"Fine," Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulders and Harry leaned into his side. Harry changed then crawled into bed.

"Do you want to take a Dreamless Sleep Potion or no?" Remus wondered.

"No."

"You sure, kid?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Okay. G'night, Harry. See you in the morning. Love you," Remus hugged him.

"Night, Harry. Love you."

"Night, guys. Love you too," Harry smiled then lay down as his uncles left the room, turning off the light and shutting the door.

"I really don't understand why Summer helped us," Remus stated as they sat in the living room with a couple drinks.

"I don't know either, but until we learn everything, Harry is not going to Hogwarts," Sirius said.

"I'm with you there, Padfoot," Remus nodded. "So what if she's really trying to change? We can't keep Harry away from her forever."

"We were doing a good job at the beginning," Sirius muttered.

Remus grinned. "True, but she wasn't around then. Now she's here and I'm pretty sure she's trying to change so she can be with Harry. She is his godmother. She has just as much right to custody as you do."

"Technically, she doesn't. She's only the godmother."

"So."

"So, I'm godfather and great uncle. You're great uncle too. Family's always first in line and Lily and James said _I _was to be Harry's guardian. Not Summer because she was already a Death Eater. We have more rights to custody than she does."

"That may be true, but she can make it so she can be allowed to see him. If she tries hard enough, she has a chance at full custody."

"The hell she does," Sirius muttered again, taking a long drink. "Look, do you honestly think that the Ministry would choose her over us? A known Death Eater over us."

"Well, considering the Minister is still Cornelius Fudge, then yes. He absolutely hates us. He thinks I'm still a werewolf, he never believed you were innocent even with Pettigrew being thrown at him, and everyone always thinks that the kids should go to the woman. Women are always going to be better than two bachelors, even if the woman is a Death Eater. In people's books, especially Fudge's, Summer will be the logical choice. You and I both know he only allowed the adoption two years ago because Dumbledore was there and with us," Remus explained.

"Smartass. You didn't make too much better. Thanks," Sirius scowled at his friend who shrugged.

"You asked. Just saying the truth, Padfoot."

"I just don't know what we're going to do. Especially if she is trying, Dumbledore will force her on us and Harry," Sirius sighed. Remus didn't say anything, he just looked at the floor.

* * *

><p>That night was the first night in a long time that Harry slept without waking up screaming. He did have a nightmare though. He kept muttering and tossing and turning. He would put a hand over his scar every now and then. Even though he didn't wake up screaming, he did wake up at least four times. He didn't sleep much and was very tired the next day.<p>

"Harry. Harry. Harry!" Sirius called at breakfast and Harry jerked awake.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you so tired, pup?" Remus asked.

"Kept waking up. Woke up at least four times," he yawned.

"Why?"

"Nightmares," he put his head in his hand, closing his eyes.

"Nightmares? Why didn't you tell me or Sirius?" Remus frowned.

"Because they weren't too bad and I didn't want to wake either of you. Sirius, you just got home and I know you need to rest, Remus told me. Remus, you've hardly slept because of me."

"Harry, you know—" Sirius started.

"I know, I know. You always tell me not to worry and it's all right because it's not necessary. I just want you two to get some sleep. I'm not trying to be the adult, I'm just trying to let you both be somewhat conscious during the day."

"Harry, we're always conscious. More so than you. I'm used to it. I work at the Ministry and you know sometimes I work through the night. Same with Remus. You're like the living dead right now, kid," Sirius furrowed his eyebrows.

"Thanks for the loving comment," Harry said sarcastically. Sirius scowled at the boy. "Look, if it happens again—"

"If it happens again, you're telling at least one of us," Remus said and it sounded like an order.

"That's what I was going to say, Remus. If it happens again, I'll tell one of you. I just wanted you both to get at least a full night's sleep," Harry told them.

"Good, and we both slept exceptionally well so no more worrying about our sleeping habits. Now it's your turn," Sirius stated.

"My turn?" Harry frowned. What were they talking about?

The older wizards grinned. "Now you need to sleep. You're the one who needs rest right now, not us."

"No, I'm fine," Harry shook his head.

"Harry, don't strain yourself. You need more sleep than we do. You're young," Remus told him.

"I'm not trying to strain myself, and I'm not that young. I'm going to be sixteen in two weeks," Harry responded.

"That's true, you are almost sixteen, but that does not mean you can make yourself a live version of a zombie," Sirius said seriously.

"I'm not going back to sleep," Harry stated in a final tone.

"Fine, but you know it's not healthy to lose so much sleep," Remus answered. Harry glowered at his uncles and they glowered back. "Finish eating," Remus added. He and Sirius washed their plates then went to sit in the living room. Harry grumbled to himself as he finished eating his breakfast, making Sirius and Remus chuckle. Harry soon finished then went up the stairs to his room, saying he was going to finish his summer work.

Up until around seven, it was quiet in the house. Harry upstairs working on his homework and Remus and Sirius just watched TV, every once in a while making a small conversation. Remus and Sirius were about to start talking about something else when they heard a crash and a curse in Harry's room.

"What happened?" Sirius asked Remus who shrugged. They stood and ran up to Harry's bedroom.

"Harry, what happened, pup?" Remus said shocked.

Harry was on the floor picking up shards of metal from his smashed ink bottle. He was also picking up glass from his broken window. There was ink and blood on the floor.

"Hey, guys. Sorry," Harry smiled then winced as some glass went into his palm. "Ow."

"Harry, drop the glass and metal. Please," Sirius stated and Harry nodded. He dropped all he was holding and walked up to Sirius. Harry's hands were covered in cuts. "Oh, Harry. Come on, let's go clean you up."

"Kay," they left the room and Remus got rid of all the glass and metal, repairing the window. Then he went downstairs to the others. Harry was sitting at the table while Sirius got bandages.

"Why can't you just heal them with magic?"

"Because," Sirius answered as he started wrapping the teen's hands.

"That's not an answer," Harry countered. Sirius shrugged. While they were arguing, a letter came out of the fire and Remus read it. He turned back to the kitchen.

"Padfoot?"

"Yeah?"

"She's awake."


	30. Chapter 30

"Hey, Summer," Remus said as he, Sirius, and, most reluctant out of the three, Harry sat around Summer's bed in the hospital wing.

"Hi. What are you all doing here?" Summer replied quietly. She was still quite weak and tired.

"To see you," Remus said simply.

"So you mean, 'to see you then murder you happily'," Summer told them sarcastically.

"Believe me, that was an option in my eyes," Sirius muttered. Summer didn't hear him, but Remus did and elbowed him, then glared at Harry who was forcing down a grin.

"Summer—" Remus started.

"I'm guessing this isn't just a friendly-get-well visit," Summer smiled, sadness in her eyes. Sirius and Harry snorted, attempting and failing to make it quiet. Remus glared at them.

"I swear I'll make Poppy kick you out and I'll do this myself then tell you after. You know I will," Remus threatened. Sirius and Harry stopped immediately. He shook his head and turned back to facing Summer. "Summer, we have to ask you something," Clearly, he would be in charge of the conversation.

"Ask me."

"Why did you help us? Why didn't you just let the other Death Eaters get us? They just wanted…" he shut his eyes. "…Harry," he finally finished.

"Exactly."

"What does that mean?"

"That's why I helped. If you haven't noticed yet, you're so blind."

"Noticed what?"

"You're not very observant, are you?"

"Been pretty busy getting things back to normal," Remus glanced at the others, amazed at their brilliant obedience to stay quiet. They didn't smile or show any emotion. Harry just leaned on Sirius who had one arm around Harry, and the other was gently stroking Harry's arm. They watched absently between Remus and Summer.

Summer's smile disappeared. "I didn't want them to get their hands on Harry. If you remember, I'm trying to do what I said that day at Hogwarts or that night in the Ministry. I knew that if I let Harry go, well, be taken to the Dark Lord, he would be killed instantly, then you two would be killed. I couldn't let that happen," she explained.

"Why? If you knew it would probably get you killed."

"I've been thinking for about two months about this. I thought my chances of survival through and quickly knew they were slim. Some would think me irrational to even be thinking about attempting this for three wizards who don't even care for me. I had to try though. I'd thought about it and been planning to for too long to just shove it aside."

"Planning what?"

"Leaving the Dark Lord."

"What?"

"For two months I've wanted to leave. I would have left two months ago but that's when my master had Harry. I couldn't leave him."

"You were helping them torture me," Harry put in suddenly. Remus silenced him with a look. "Sorry," Remus smiled and put a hand on Harry's knee.

"Before you got to the cottage, what happened to you? You were like halfway to death," Remus frowned.

"I got caught trying to sneak off. They pulled me back to where we were and they tortured me. Didn't stop me. As soon as their backs were turned, I took off."

"How did you get through the wards?

"Well, I didn't get through quietly. I was screaming and I heard your alarm go off. I got through because there was a hole in your wards."

"How did you know that there was a hole?"

"Because I was there when the Dark Lord put the hole there," Summer avoided their eyes.

"How come you all didn't attack then? Why did they wait until now to attack?"

"They wanted to see if they could kidnap Harry again. They wanted to see if he would wander outside and if he did, they'd take him. When they saw that wasn't going to happen, they decided to attack, while I decided to risk dying to warn you."

Remus was going to speak again, but Dumbledore and Pomfrey came in at exactly the same time.

"That was weird," Harry muttered. Sirius grinned.

"I daresay, that is quite enough interrogations. Miss Watts just woke up," Pomfrey said disapprovingly.

"It's all right, Madam. It doesn't bother me," Summer smiled.

"Need more pain meds?" Pomfrey stated.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks," Summer replied.

"I need to talk to these four alone, Poppy, if you don't mind," Dumbledore suddenly spoke. Pomfrey frowned, glowered, and then went to her office.

"What is it, Albus?" Remus asked.

"I wanted to discuss Summer's current situation. She has no where to stay."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with us?" Remus frowned.

"I have a place in mind for her. I also already have everything ready in that place for her."

"That's great, but we still have nothing to do with it," Sirius furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Dumbledore sighed and looked at Remus expectantly. Remus' eyes grew wide as he finally understood.

"What?" Remus shouted then looked at the others. Their eyes opened wide as they, too, understood.

"What?" Sirius and Harry shouted together.

"You've got to be joking!" Remus said loudly. Dumbledore shook his head.

"You're saying that you're making her stay with us? You're insane," Sirius glared.

"Would you all stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Summer glared at them. They ignored her.

"It's the only place she has to go," Dumbledore told them.

"What about here at Hogwarts?" Sirius said.

"You know I don't allow anyone to stay at Hogwarts. Even if…" Dumbledore said quickly, cutting Sirius off, "I did teach them or was their headmaster," Sirius scowled.

"Sir, is it really a good idea? I mean, no offence or anything, Summer, but you are a Death Eater. Even if she says she left, how can we be sure? We only have her word," Remus said, looking at everyone. The headmaster was calm; Summer was staring at him, her mouth open a bit, anger clear in her eyes; Sirius was still holding Harry, just slowly smoothing Harry's hair back instead comfortingly.

"I meant it when I said I left and wasn't going back," Summer put in. Everyone kept talking like she hadn't said anything.

"You are losing it, Albus. You're seriously saying we stay in a house with a Death Eater. Have Harry stay in a house with someone who helped torture and leave him to die," Remus snapped. He patted Harry's knee when the boy winced at the memories.

"She is Harry's godmother. She has rights," Dumbledore responded calmly.

"The hell she does! She could be his sister and it wouldn't make a difference!" Sirius yelled.

"She is staying at number twelve with you. She has sworn that she has left Voldemort for good. This discussion is over. She'll be there around five. Goodbye," the headmaster left. The three stared after him while Summer stared at them, Harry more so.

"Remus?" Harry whispered and touched the hand that was squeezing his knee. Remus jumped and turned.

"What is it, pup?"

"My knee? I can't feel it," Harry smiled and looked pointedly at Remus' hand.

"Oh, sorry, Harry," Harry nodded. Remus turned back to Summer and she stared into his eyes. "We'll see you at five," he stood and walked off, Sirius and Harry behind him. She sighed.

"I cannot believe Dumbledore would do this to us. To Harry," Sirius said as they walked to the village.

"I know. This time, he's lost it completely. There is no way he would do this if he was sane," Remus agreed.

"He's been like that since we were in school, moony. He's made a lot of good decisions and he's been insane."

"Not helping, Padfoot."

"We're just going to have to wait and see," Sirius sighed.

"Wait and see. Where have I heard that one before?" Remus raised an eyebrow and they Disapparated.

* * *

><p>"Harry? What happed in your room with the window and ink?" Remus asked.<p>

"Oh, I was writing to Ron and Hermione and I felt weird. I heard like a hiss and I swore I saw a snake in my room. It almost looked like Nagini, but smaller. I knocked over the ink. I looked out the window and saw my reflection, except I wasn't completely me."

"What do you mean?" Sirius wondered.

"I had Voldemort's eyes so I kinda broke the window. I freaked out when I saw that," Remus and Sirius looked at each other, very worried. It was silent for a bit, and then Harry spoke, changing the subject. "Why exactly did Summer help us again? I didn't listen until the end," Harry asked, grinning.

"Because she apparently left Voldemort and doesn't want anything to happen to you," Sirius answered.

"It should be interesting when she's here," Harry raised an eyebrow. His guardians looked at him. "What?" Remus and Sirius shook their heads, smiling. Harry rolled his eyes. It was twenty to five and Remus was starting dinner.

"Moony! What're you making?" Sirius called.

"None of your bloody business, that's what!" Remus called back. Harry stifled a laugh.

"Well, it is my business because I'll be eating it."

"Who says you get any?"

"Okay, that's harsh.

"I thought maybe you'd like to try eating less."

"Hey! What about Harry?"

"What about Harry?"

"He eats just as much as I do."

"He's a kid."

"So?"

"So," Sirius was silent. "Stop whining. You get some. I was kidding. I'd get arrested if I stopped cooking. You both would starve."

"Would not!" Harry countered. "I know how to cook. If you don't remember, I had to learn and had to cook every meal, every day at the Dursleys," Remus and Sirius were surprised. Harry hardly talked so casually about the Dursleys and his life there.

"That's true. If you know how to cook, why don't you cook for yourself sometimes?" Remus stated.

"Because you're here."

"Thanks, pup," Remus said sarcastically. He could almost hear Harry grinning.

"Anytime," Remus rolled his eyes.

"If you two are done arguing with me, come in here and eat. Dinner's ready," Remus told them. Harry started to the kitchen then yelled out in surprise when Sirius grabbed him around the waist.

"Sirius! Remus, help!" Harry laughed as Sirius brought him to the floor. "If you don't mind, I'm hungry and would like some dinner. Hey, no tickling!" Harry laughed again as Sirius tickled him. "Remus!"

"Come on, Padfoot. Wrestle after dinner," Remus said, smiling as he looked at them. Sirius helped Harry up and they started eating, chatting happily.

"We've gotta put up all the pictures again. There're in a box in the attic," Harry told the older wizards.

"Yeah, brighten the place up a bit again," Sirius nodded.

"It is brighter in here. Especially since your mother isn't screaming at us anymore," Harry grinned.

"I'll give you that," Sirius nodded and they laughed. Then there was a knock. "I'll get it," Sirius opened the door, revealing Dumbledore and Summer. Remus stopped eating when they walked into the house.

"Hello, Albus. Summer," Remus said with no emotion. Harry watched them all, continuing to eat slowly.

"Good evening. I trust you have seen the room I made up for Summer?"

"Yes, we did," Remus and Sirius nodded.

"Good, I just wanted to see her here. Good night," Dumbledore inclined his head then walked out the door. Sirius followed.

"Your room is up the stairs, first door on the left," Remus told Summer. She nodded and went upstairs. As soon as she disappeared, Sirius came back in slamming the door so hard that Harry's glass of water tipped over.

"He's a bloody idiot!" he yelled. Harry and Remus raised their eyebrows.

"Anything wrong, Sirius?" Harry grinned as he got a towel and cleaned up the water.

"Very funny."

"What's wrong, Padfoot?" Remus sighed, watching Harry clean up and Sirius pace.

"He won't even consider getting her to stay somewhere else!"

"Of course not. He's already arranged everything."

"That's not why. He mainly wants to keep her here because he wants Harry to have his godmother," Sirius answered.

They jumped when Harry dropped his plate on the floor and it broke. " Sorry," Sirius went over and repaired the plate.

"So he's doing what the Ministry would have done. He's forcing her on Harry," Remus said.

Sirius nodded. "He wants him to have a chance to know what it's like to have both parents before it all starts."

"What about Mrs. Weasley? Tonks? Andromeda? They're all absolutely fine. Mrs. Weasley's more my mother than Summer will ever be. I don't even want to know Summer," Harry said angrily.

"We know but we can't do anything, kiddo."

"Wait, before all what starts?" Harry frowned. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other. "Oh, you mean the war, don't you?" they nodded.

"Umm, excuse me?" Summer said quietly from the stairs.

"What is it, Summer?" Sirius replied.

"Is there anything I can eat? I'm a little hungry."

"Hope you starve," Sirius muttered and Summer didn't hear, but Remus did and kicked him in the shin.

"There's still some dinner left on the stove," Remus told her. He turned and glared at Sirius. "Be nice," he growled. Sirius shrugged.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I sit here?"

"No, go ahead. Harry and I need to leave anyways," Remus stated.

"We do?" Harry frowned.

"It's time for your first Occlumency lesson. We'll be doing it in the attic. I have it all set up. Come on," Remus told him. "One second," he went to the fridge and took out a couple bottles of water. Harry looked at him questioningly. "We'll need them. You more than me. Let's go," they started for the attic.

"Hey, guys. I'll be back in a bit. I'm just going to go to Diagon Alley for a bit then I'm going to visit Tonks and Andromeda. I'll see you later," Sirius told Remus and Harry.

"Okay, bye," they said and Sirius left.

"Come on, pup," they went to the attic.

* * *

><p>"Occlumency isn't easy. I'm not going to lie. It is hard, but when learned and mastered, very helpful," Remus started explaining to Harry.<p>

"Good to know."

"As you know, people use Occlumency to block their minds. I used it to block out the trauma and shock of your parents' deaths, Sirius' arrest, Peter's apparent death, and later, Michelle's death. You will need to use it to block out Voldemort for the most part."

"The most part?"

"Yes. It's not only Voldemort we're worried about, though he's mostly the fear. We're worried about the Death Eaters as well."

"Why?"

"Because if they've been taught the right stuff and have the right skills, they may be able to do stuff to you. Curse you, to put it simple."

"But why do I have to block my head from Voldemort and his followers?" Harry was confused.

"Harry, has Dumbledore ever told you about the connection between you and Voldemort?"

"Well, it was mostly you and Sirius, but Dumbledore told me stuff too, though it was all relatively the same," Harry answered.

"What did he tell you?"

"He told me about the wand connection, my scar, and tiny bit about the prophecy. I knew about the prophecy from you guys."

"You know most of it. Now that Voldemort's back, this connection can be stronger than ever. Harry, Voldemort is able to connect with you through your mind."

"You've gotta be joking?"

"Afraid not. With this being able to be done, he will be able to see every memory you have and may end up using something against you. Show you something that's not real to get to you. He'll be able to control you and if he's capable to, he may possess you at some point," Remus told him. Harry stared at him, wide-eyed. His breath caught in his chest.

"Brilliant," Harry muttered.

"But if you learn Occlumency you may be able to prevent that from happening," Remus told him. "Let's start."

"Kay," Harry stood and moved the chair he had been sitting in to the side.

"Now, I want you to clear your head. Don't have a single thought in your head. I will be trying to get in your head. With each lesson, you will be able to block me out. With practice, I eventually won't be able to get in at all," Remus said. Harry nodded then tried to clear his head.

"Okay, I think I'm ready. At least I hope I am," Harry stated. He was a little nervous.

"Okay, you'll be fine. Ready?"

"Yeah.

"_Legilimens_!"Remus said and memories flashed in front of Harry's eyes.

Harry's first day of Hogwarts; when Remus and Sirius took him from the Dursleys; when Harry met Ron and Hermione. Then the memories stopped and Harry stumbled backwards.

"You all right?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Harry said breathlessly.

"Have some water," Remus handed him a bottle of water. "Don't worry. I didn't expect you to do it the first time. That would have been amazing."

"I also didn't know what to expect," Harry replied.

"We're going to do it again. Don't worry if you don't get it. Ready?"

Harry took one more drink of water then nodded. "Let's go."

"_Legilimens_!"The memories flooded back.

Harry when he was facing Voldemort in first year; when Harry met Hagrid; Harry's sixth birthday, his first with Remus and Sirius; when Harry made it on the Quidditch team. This time, when the spell was lifted, Harry fell to the floor.

"Harry, you okay? You all right, pup?" Remus was kneeling beside Harry, worried.

"Yeah. I'm fine," Remus gave him more water.

"Maybe we should stop for tonight," Remus suggested.

"No, really, I'm all right. Once more," Harry stood, stumbling as he tried to stay up.

"Are you sure? You don't have to strain yourself," Remus looked at the teen.

"I'm fine. Once more."

"Okay, tell me when you're ready," Remus sighed.

Harry nodded. He shut his eyes and cleared his head the best he could. He opened his eyes. "Okay. Ready."

Remus hesitated then raised his wand. "_Legilimens_!"The memories started.

Harry on the Hogwarts Express; Harry, Ron, and Hermione taking the Polyjuice Potion; when the trio found Mrs. Norris petrified; Hermione petrified. Harry fell again.

"You all right? I forgot Hermione had been petrified. Are you okay, pup?" Remus said softly. He brushed some hair out of Harry's eyes. The boy was breathless and sweating.

"I'm okay," Harry finished off one bottle of water and started on the other.

"That's all for tonight," Remus stated.

"No, no. Once more," he tried to stand but fell back down.

"Harry, go have a quick shower. We might do more tomorrow. It's late. If you're tired, head off to bed," Remus told him and helped the teen stand.

"Okay," Harry went into the bathroom while Remus went downstairs. He saw Summer sitting at the table, reading a book. He went into the living room and flipped on the TV. He searched for something to watch then put it on a show called _Friends_. Just then, Sirius walked in the door.

"Hey, Padfoot."

"Hi, Moony. Where's Harry?" Sirius asked as he sat beside his best friend.

"Having a shower. We just finished. How's Andromeda?" Remus muted the TV so they could talk.

"She's better. Of course, she's still sad about Ted, but she's all right. She was glad to see me. Disappointed you and Harry weren't with me."

"That's good. Get anything from Diagon Alley?"

"No, I just wandered around. I dropped in and talked with Tom," Sirius shook his head. They talked for a few more minutes and then Harry came down the stairs.

"Hi, Sirius. I am pretty tired, so I'm gonna go to bed."

"Okay, night, Harry. Love you," Remus hugged and kissed Harry's forehead.

"Good night, kiddo. Love you," Sirius did the same.

"Night, guys. Love you too," Harry turned and saw Summer staring at them. He frowned and ran upstairs to go to bed.


	31. Chapter 31

"Harry?" someone whispered. Harry groaned then put his glasses on and opened his eyes.

"Ahh!" he yelled. "Summer! What the bloody hell are you doing in my room?" Harry shouted.

"Sshhh. Harry, please. Remus and Sirius downstairs."

"Why the hell are you in my room?"

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to talk to you," Summer said quietly.

"Then talk," Harry glared at her.

"Look, I know you think I'm this horrible person who deserted your family, but I'm not. I really did love Sirius. He was the best guy I had ever been with. I also loved Lily like she was my sister. I loved all my friends."

"Then why did you leave them? Leave Sirius just to join Voldemort? You killed Sirius when you left him," Harry frowned. He wasn't sure why he was listening.

"My father and step-mother got murdered by Death Eaters in front of my two years after graduation. It haunted me. I joined the Dark Side because, at the beginning, I was going to get revenge. I was going to kill the people who had killed my parents. As soon as I got the Dark Mark, something seemed to take over my mind. I guess the Dark Lord takes over your mind when you join his side. All I wanted to do was avenge my parents, that's all, I swear, but like I said. They took me over," Summer told him. Harry didn't speak. "I'm trying to fix things, Harry. Really I am. I'll never blame Remus and Sirius for hating me and I know they'll probably never forgive me. I'll try to fix things with them but I mostly want things to be all right with us."

"How can things be all right with us? We don't even know each other!" Harry hissed. "All I know is that you hurt Sirius and everyone else because you decided to join Voldemort. At Hogwarts, you said you joined because that side was better than this side. Now you're telling me you joined to avenge your parents. How do I know what to believe?"

"You can believe that I'm trying and I want to be a part of your life. I don't want to be a Death Eater anymore. I want to be with you."

"Look, I'm sure you're trying and I'm sure you can be really nice if you want to be, but I've lived my life with Sirius and Remus. I've learned everything from them. I've learned that you turned on them and left Sirius just days before your wedding. I'm sure you loved Sirius and my mum and the others, and I know you were appointed my godmother, but you left. You abandoned everything. You can't expect me to suddenly be your friend, or love you like family, or accept that you're my godmother just because you came back. Not even because you saved us. Like I said at school, I don't know if I even want to know you," Harry stated.

"I know that that's what they told you. I'm not saying it's not true, because it is. I won't deny it. I didn't expect you to accept me right away, but can't we try starting as friends?"

"I don't know, Summer. That might be hard for me and on them. I'm not going to cause them pain because you want to be friends. Don't forget. You were one of the ones who helped keep me in the department. I'll never forgive you for that. Neither will Remus and Sirius. I don't know if we should try being friends or not. It might be too soon," Harry finished.

"I know. Thanks for talking with me, Harry. I'll take it as a tiny step forward. Thanks again," Summer gave a small smile and left the room. Harry sighed and got up. Without getting dressed, Harry, his hair much messier, went downstairs.

"Morning, guys," Harry mumbled.

"Morning, kid. How long have you been up?" Sirius said, taking a drink of his coffee.

Harry shrugged. "'Bout five or ten minutes."

"Breakfast is on the table, Harry," Remus told him.

"Thanks. When did you two get up?" Harry asked, sitting down and eating in the kitchen.

"Couple hours ago," Sirius answered.

"Couple hours ago?" Harry repeated. "What time is it?"

"It's twenty after eleven," Remus replied.

"I have got to set my alarm. I need to get up earlier. It's pretty bad if Sirius is getting up before me."

"Hey!" Sirius protested.

"He has a point, Padfoot."

"So?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Anyways, Harry, you've just been tired. You need sleep. You are not going to lose sleep just because Sirius is getting up before you."

"Fine," Harry sighed.

"So how come you stayed in your room after you woke up? You obviously didn't change or try to do anything with your hair, though that's hard to tell," Sirius laughed and Harry faked throwing his knife, making Sirius flinch.

"I was just lying in bed," he lied.

"Harry," Remus said in a knowing tone.

"Am I that see-through right now?"

"With us, it's all the time but yes, you are."

Harry sighed. "Summer was in my room and we talked. Her more than me but whatever."

"Summer was in your room while you were sleeping?" Sirius frowned.

"I guess. She was just there when I woke up. Scared the hell out of me," Harry replied. Sirius was scowling and Remus and Harry were watching him. They were waiting to jump up and stop Sirius when he went to murder Summer. Fortunately, it didn't happen and Sirius calmed down.

"Harry, tonight around six, we're going to have another Occlumency lesson," Remus told him.

"Okay. Is there any way I can prepare myself a little more?" Harry asked.

"Just try to completely clear your head. If you clear your head, I'll have a harder time getting into your memories. Here's a tip. Imagine that ally our thoughts and memories are in a room, and when I try to get to them, close the door. Close the door then push me out," Remus answered.

"Great. I'll try that," Harry smiled then went to his room. "Oh, hi, Summer," they heard Harry say.

"Excuse me," Summer said politely. Sirius was going to speak but Remus stared at him.

"Yes, Summer?"

"I was just wondering I'd I could look around in your library? I don't have anything to do and I'd like to read something," Summer replied. She always spoke quietly around them.

"Sure thing. It's down the hall, third door on the right," Remus nodded and told her where to go.

"I think you're being too friendly with her," Sirius responded.

"Well, I'm not letting you scream at her and insult her. I wouldn't mind doing that myself but I'm not. You can only scream at her if you end up fighting," Remus pointed at him.

"Sirius! Remus!" Harry called.

"What?" Sirius called back.

"Can—go—alley?" they didn't hear much of what he said.

"Harry, come down here!" Remus said.

Harry ran downstairs to his uncles. "I said, can I go to Diagon Alley? Ron just owled me and asked. Mrs. Weasley is bringing Ron and Hermione. They're going to get some things then head over to Fred and George's joke shop. Can I go? Please? Harry explained.

Remus and Sirius looked at each other, debating. "All right. You can go," Remus nodded.

"Yes! Thank you," Harry ran up to his room again to get his stuff and owl Ron back.

"Is it a good idea, Moony?"

"Of course it's not."

"Then why—" Sirius was confused.

"Look, he's only seen his friends a few times and he hasn't been to Diagon Alley since before school. I don't think anything will happen while he's there, but just in case, he's bringing the mirror," Remus said.

"Ooooh! Gotcha." Sirius nodded.

"I'm ready. Ron told me to Floo over as soon as I was ready. I'll see you later. I won't be too long and I'll be safe," Harry stated before they could lecture him.

"Good. Harry, just to be safe, we want you to bring the mirror. Just to be safe," Remus told him. Sirius had already summoned the mirror and it was coming down the stairs. Harry grabbed it.

"Okay. Bye, guys," Harry turned to go to the fireplace. He spotted Summer lurking in the shadowy doorway of the library. He gave her a half-smile and Flooed away. Summer stood there for a while then went to the living room.

"I don't think you should have let him go."

"Excuse me?" Remus frowned.

"You shouldn't have let him go. It's not safe."

"Were you eavesdropping on us?" Remus glared at her.

"Unintentionally, yes. You really should get him back home. It's not safe for him. He's in danger now that he's exposing himself."

"He'll be fine. He's strong and brave and can take care of himself. You must have realized that when you were in the department," Sirius stated.

"Sirius," Remus warned.

"Oh, that's right. You were too busy helping to torture and almost kill him!" Sirius shot, standing without realizing.

"Sirius," Remus said louder.

"I was not torturing him!" Summer snapped.

"What about earlier in the school year down in Hogsmeade?" Sirius glared.

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember? You went to the village with some friends and started destroying it. You were setting everything on fire and stunning everyone you saw. Harry went back to you with his friends and tried to fight you. You disarmed him and then put him under the Cruciatus Curse for several minutes!" Sirius yelled.

"Sirius!" Remus shouted.

"What?"

"Shut up for a second and sit down. Now," he ordered. Sirius glared deeply at Summer then slumped into his chair. "Thank you," Remus said calmly then stood up.

"Look, Summer. Harry lives with us. He has for years. He's ours and we'll raise him and treat him the way we want. He's in our custody. Even though you're staying here, it does not give you the right to try and raise Harry. He's in our custody, not yours. He'll go by our rules and we'll raise him how we want. It was not for you to decide if he went to Diagon Alley with his friends or not. That was our call. Stop trying to raise him. That's our job," Remus sat back down. "Also, stay out of his room unless he asks you to come in." Summer's lower lip trembled as she stared at them. They were glaring daggers at her. She went up to her room. Sirius and Remus looked at each other when she was gone.

* * *

><p>"Do you kids need to get anything before we head over to Fred and George's?" Mrs. Weasley asked the trio.<p>

"I have to get treats for Hedwig."

"I have to get some for Pig too."

"Things for Crookshanks."

"All right. You three go over to the Magical Menagerie. I have to go to the Apothecary. We'll meet at the joke shop in fifteen to twenty minutes. Be careful," Mrs. Weasley told them. They nodded and split up.

"Have you seen the joke shop yet?" Harry asked as they entered the store.

"Not yet. This will be the first time," Ron shook his head. "Ugh! I can't find the treats Pig likes!" Ron complained. Harry and Hermione went to him.

They looked then Hermione pointed to a box right in front of Ron's eyes. "They're right there, Ronald."

"Oh," Ron took the box off the shelf. Harry started laughing. "Shut up, Harry."

They all had their things and went up to pay for them. Harry paid then Ron paid. Then, as Hermione was paying, there was a scream outside. At first they ignored it but then there were more screams, lights everywhere, and Aurors running down the cobble-stoned road.

"What's going on?" Ron frowned as they looked out the window.

"Death Eaters. Down there by the Apothecary," Harry pointed down the road. Sure enough, the too familiar cloaked and masked people were there. They were destroying the stores and there were already over twenty people dead on the ground. Over ten were stunned.

"That's not good," Ron stated. They looked at him. He shrugged.

"Look at all the Aurors. Many are already dead or stunned," Hermione said. She was right. It looked like the entire Ministry was there.

"We have to get home," Harry said to them.

"How? We go out there, we'll be seen," Ron replied.

"Maybe the shopkeeper can help. Excuse me—" Hermione stopped when they turned around. The shopkeeper was gone. "There goes that plan."

"Look, some of these Aurors are from Sirius' department. There's Sanders, Sims, Kingsley, Tonks, Sirius…Sirius! There's Remus too!" Harry said loudly. He started opening the door.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione said.

"I'm going to help them. What if they get hurt?"

"Have you seen how many Aurors are out there? They can take care of themselves. Sirius is Head Auror and Remus knows defence. They work well together. They know what to do," Hermione told her friend.

"Exactly, which is why you three are staying in here," Sirius stated. They turned and saw Remus and Sirius in the doorway.

"Bye, Sirius, I—"

"You are going to keep yourself safe by staying here. When we're done, we'll come get the three of you and bring you home. Stay here," Remus answered.

"But—"

"We'll be back," they left the shop and magically locked the door. Harry tried to open it.

"Damn it!" he cussed.

"It's okay, Harry," Hermione said calmly. They watched out the window. They watched spells fly everywhere, Aurors run here and there, and watched the Death Eaters come closer and closer to where they were.

"One question." Ron stated. "We're locked in here right? What happens if Death Eaters come here?" they all looked at each other and shrugged then looked outside again. They gasped. The Death Eaters were right in front of the store.

"You might your answer, Ron!" Hermione said.

"Ahhh!" Harry yelled. He clapped a hand over his scar and collapsed to the floor.

"Harry?" Hermione and Ron said in alarm, kneeling beside him.

"He's here. Voldemort's here," Harry told him.

"Oh God," Hermione whispered. "I see him. Oh no. We have a problem."

"What now?"

"Lucius Malfoy saw us." Just then, the shop shook and began to fall apart.

"Look out!" Harry shouted. It seemed to take forever for the shop to stop falling apart.

"Harry? Ron? Are you okay?" Hermione called.

"I'm all right, except my head feels like it's going to split open and my right leg's pinned," Harry answered.

"Same. Both my legs are pinned," Ron added. "You okay, Hermione?"

"Yeah, I think my wrist is broken though. The rest is cuts."

"So how are we getting out of here? We're pinned, Harry's gonna pass out from his scar, and you have a broken wrist," Ron said.

"I dunno. Harry, any ideas? Harry?" Hermione stated. Harry didn't answer. She was going to go to them but didn't know where they were. They were both pinned and buried.

"I think he's passed out," Ron suggested.

"Yeah. Ron, do you know where you are? You both are buried. I don't know where you are."

"I think I'm by the cash register. Harry's by where the door was. Hermione, you have to go get help. You have to find someone. Don't look for someone you know, just try find someone who can help," Ron told her.

"But—but—" she stuttered.

"Hermione, Harry could die from being pinned, buried, and passed out. I'll be fine. You have to get someone," Ron stated. "Be careful and have your wand out."

"Okay. I'll be back with help. I promise," Hermione promised, took out her wand, then walked through the rubble to the streets of Diagon Alley. What was left of it, at least.

Hermione was terrified. Though the Death Eaters were gone, she didn't know where Voldemort was. Almost all the stores had been destroyed. There were only a few stores standing but they were badly damaged. She silently cried as she slowly walked past all the bodies of the unconscious and dead. She kept her wand out and looked around for someone who could help. She screamed when she saw a little boy dead. She screamed again when she tripped and fell over the body of the Auror named Sims. She didn't know whether he was dead or unconscious and she didn't want to know.

Hermione stumbled to her feet and began slowly walking again. She jumped and stifled a scream when someone yelled. She looked at her watch and saw she had been gone for fifteen minutes. She walked all the way to Gringotts, but saw nobody who could help her and her friends, so she headed back to the Emporium. By the time she got back, she had been gone for almost half an hour. When she got to what was left of the store, her watch suddenly, and oddly, stopped working.

"Ron? Ron!" she called.

"Hermione? That you?" Ron answered. His voice had weakened and it worried Hermione.

"Yeah, it's me."

"Good. You were gone forever."

"I know. Have you heard anything from Harry?"

"No. I think he's still out," Ron told her. "Did you find anyone?"

"No, I didn't. There's no one. The only stores still standing are Quality Quidditch Supplies, the Apothecary, the Ice Cream Parlour, Fred and George's joke shop, and Gringotts, of course," Hermione replied.

"Hermione, listen to me. You have to do it. You have to get us out. I'll help best I can, but it's up to you," Ron stated.

"I—I—I can't, Ron."

"You have to. Hermione, I don't mean to upset you, but if Harry and I don't get out, we could die," Ron told her.

"O—okay," she agreed. Hermione kneeled down and started throwing stuff aside. She could hear Ron trying to help too. She threw aside a large piece of wood then a piece that was from a wall and saw Ron. "Ron!" she shrieked.

"Hermione! Hurry. Then we can find Harry," they continued throwing stuff aside until they finally got to what was pinning him down. It was a huge piece of wood that Hermione knew she would never be able to lift.

"Now what? I can't lift that and it's not like you can help me," Hermione stated, sitting down.

"Leverage it. Find something to leverage it. Then I can drag myself out," Ron told her. She looked around and saw the large piece of wood she had thrown aside before. "Good," she propped it up on another piece of wood and put the end under the wood pinning Ron. "Brilliant. Now, push!" Hermione put all her weight on it and the wood pinning Ron began to lift. Soon, Ron was able to slide himself out.

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah, it only cut into my shins. Nothing serious. Come on, we have to find Harry fast," Ron stood and they went to start digging in the spot they last saw Harry. It seemed to take forever. They kept having to help each other lift really heavy things. Harry was buried deeper than Ron had been and it took a lot longer.

"It's him! It's Harry!" Hermione cried. She had spotted Harry's hand when she moved a small piece of wood. They quickly dog out their friend and lifted the wood that was pinning his right leg.

"Come on, let's get into the street," Ron suggested. They pulled Harry up, put his arms around their shoulders, and then went out into the street.

"Now what? Where do we go? What do we do?" Hermione asked.

"Let's go look in the stores still standing. We have to find Mum, Fred, and George. Same with Remus and Sirius," Ron replied. Hermione nodded and they started for the Quidditch store. They opened the door and walked in.

"What's goin' on?" Harry mumbled as he woke up. "Where are we?"

"Harry. Thank God. We're in the Quidditch store," Hermione answered.

"Oh. We are too. How did Ron and I get out? We were pinned and buried," Harry stated.

"Well, I had gone out to find someone to help me get you two out, but there was no one. I went back to the store and I had to dig Ron out. He helped a bit. Then we dug you out. You were buried much deeper," Hermione explained.

"Lovely."

"Now we're looking for Mum, Fred, George, Sirius, and Remus. The problem is, Voldemort's still here," Ron added.

"Yeah, I can feel it. My scar's burning. Wait, we're looking for Remus and Sirius? We don't know where they are or if they're alive or not?" Harry stared at them. They shook their heads sadly.

"It's the same with Mrs. Weasley and the twins. We're looking in the stores that are still standing. Quidditch store, of course, the Apothecary, the Ice Cream Parlour, the joke shop, and, of course, Gringotts. Everything else is gone. It'll take forever to rebuild everything. Even with magic," Hermione answered.

"Wow. Well, we have to get moving. We have to find them. Keep your wands out," Harry said and they searched the store, wands out.

"Nothing in here. Let's check the Ice Cream Parlour," Ron suggested and they left, Harry slightly limping with them. Ron had bad cuts on his legs. They were really deep. Hermione had a broken wrist, and Harry had a bad gash on his right leg and his right ankle might have been a little sprained.

"Here we are. Let's go," Hermione sighed. Being such a small shop, they just had to open the door and look inside. There was nothing. "Next, the Apothecary. Mrs. Weasley said she was going to be there. Unless she went to Fred and George's," the others sighed and they walked down the street.


	32. Chapter 32

"Hello? Mrs. Weasley? Are you here? Is anybody here?" Hermione whispered, pushing open the half shattered door. She walked in, the boys right behind her.

"Mum? You here? Mum?" Ron said quietly. They searched the shop when they didn't get an answer and soon realized the place was empty.

"That leaves the joke shop and Gringotts," Hermione stated.

"I'm betting on the joke shop," Harry said.

"Ditto," Ron replied.

"Boys," she rolled her eyes. "Is it really the time to be gambling? It's getting dark, we're all injured, incredibly tired and hungry, and we still haven't found anyone."

"Either we're getting closer to Voldemort or he's getting closer to us or something's happening. My head is on fire," Harry winced from his painful scar.

"Come on. To the joke shop. They must be there," Ron took a deep breath with the others and they went back into the street, only to have Harry collapse, screaming. Ron and Hermione looked down the street and vaguely saw Voldemort. "Uh oh. Back into the Apothecary," they grabbed Harry and they went back into the shop just as Voldemort turned around.

"That was close," Hermione and Ron breathed.

"He's coming. He's coming this way," Harry said through his gritted teeth. Ron and Hermione peeked out the window. Sure enough, Voldemort was gliding down the street, looming closer and closer to the Apothecary.

"Stay down and keep quiet," Hermione whispered. She and Ron lay down next to Harry and watched Voldemort's shadow go by. At first they thought he was gone but saw his shadow had stopped at the door. The trio gripped their wands tightly and Harry tried not to scream from the pain in his scar. They watched silently and with wide eyes as Voldemort raised his wand. Sparks flew out of it and a fire started, then he walked away.

"We have to get out of here," Ron whispered.

"Let's go through that window," Harry pointed at a shattered window.

"We might cut ourselves on the glass though," Hermione replied.

"Would you rather burn to death?" Ron and Harry responded.

"Okay, okay. Let's go."

"'Mione, you go first," Ron stated. She nodded and her friends helped her up. When she jumped down a piece of glass gouged into her left leg. She screamed.

"Hermione! Are you okay?" the boys called.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she answered. She tore a piece off her sweater and wrapped it around her leg. She stood and watched as Ron came next. The same piece of glass cut into his right forearm. "Here," Hermione had already ripped off another piece of her sweater. She wrapped it around Ron's arm.

"Thanks. C'mon, Harry," Harry came to the window and jumped out. A small piece of glass got in his left palm and the one piece cut into his leg. He yelled out.

"Come here," Hermione said. She had torn the rest of her sweater apart. She wrapped Harry's wounds then tightly wrapped her broken wrist which was screaming in protest from being used so much.

"We have to go. We have to find everyone," Harry stated. The others agreed and they walked, extremely cautious, to the joke shop. By the time they got to the joke shop, they were all limping, covered in blood, weak, and very tired. When they got to the shop, they were going to look inside but they all fell unconscious.

* * *

><p>When Harry, Ron, and Hermione woke up, they didn't know where they were and it was quiet.<p>

"Hermione? Harry?"

"Ron? Harry?"

"Hermione? Ron?" they all called for each other. Harry put his glasses on, looked around, and saw his friends in the beds on either side of him.

"Where are we?" Ron groaned. They were all wrapped in bandages and were sore, weak, and couldn't talk in more than a whisper.

"Hogwarts?" Hermione guessed.

"No, we're in St. Mungo's," Harry corrected.

"How did we get here? Last thing I remember is blacking out when we got to the joke shop," Ron stated.

"Dunno. That's the last thing I remember too," Hermione added.

"Who knows? I'm really tired though. We should get to sleep again," Harry yawned. The others agreed and they fell back asleep. It wasn't until the next day that the trio finally woke up again.

"I have a headache," the trio said at the same time.

"Ron!" someone cried. "Hermione! Harry! Thank goodness!"

"Mum? Is that you?" Ron muttered.

"Yes, it's me, dear. Fred and George are here too."

"Are you three okay?" Hermione asked.

"We're absolutely fine. Only small scratches."

"Where were you?" Ron asked.

"I was at the joke shop. When the attack happened, we went into the cellar. We were safe there," Mrs. Weasley told them.

"Mrs. Weasley, where's Sirius and Remus?" Harry finally spoke.

"I don't know, dear. I haven't left the room. I've been waiting for you three to wake up."

"How long have we been out?" Hermione stated. The woman answered but Harry didn't hear. He was staring out the window, not listening to anything. He didn't hear when Mrs. Weasley asked a Healer about Sirius and Remus.

"Harry, dear? Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry, but they're not here. They were never brought in," Mrs. Weasley told him. Harry's voice caught in his chest painfully.

"Excuse me. I'm Casey Turner. I am the Healer that will be looking after these three," a young girl walked into the room.

"Hello. I'm Molly Weasley. Ron…" she pointed at Ron, "is my son."

"Okay, and the others? Hermione Granger and Harry Potter."

"Hermione is staying with my husband and me. Her parents passed away a few weeks ago. Harry lives with his great uncles. I don't know where they are. No one's seen them and they haven't been brought in," Mrs. Weasley informed.

"Who are his great uncles?" Casey wondered.

"Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."

"Okay, I just have to look over them," Casey nodded. She started with Ron, then moved to Hermione, then Harry. "They are healing very well. Miss Granger will have to keep the brace on her wrist for a month. They will get their stitches out around six. They can go home late tonight or tomorrow morning. They all will be fine," Casey explained to Mrs. Weasley. "When Mr. Potter gets released, is there someone at his house?" she added quietly.

"Yes, there is. I'm able to go home," Harry answered.

"Okay, I'll be back in three hours to take the stitches out," Casey left.

"It's three?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, it is. In a few hours you get to go home," the trio nodded but didn't speak. For the next three hours, the teenagers didn't talk much, only answering if Mrs. Weasley spoke to them. The three hours dragged by and when six rolled around, the kids were happy.

"You three ready to get your stitches out?" Casey asked.

"Yep," the trio nodded. Casey smiled and began taking the stitches out of Ron's legs. When she got to Hermione, she changed Hermione's brace and took out the stitches in her leg. Then Harry's stitches came out.

"You are all doing very well. You all can go home in a couple hours. Around eight," Casey told them.

"Great. Thank you," Mrs. Weasley smiled. Casey nodded and left.

"Mum, has there been anything in the paper about the attack?" Ron asked his mother.

"Yes, there was. I brought extra copies because I knew you three would want to read it," she nodded. She handed the trio copies of the paper.

_Attack on Diagon Alley!_  
><em>At three-fifteen p.m. Sunday afternoon, Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley. It has been confirmed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had also been there. Diagon Alley has been destroyed. Only five stores have not been destroyed, only damaged. They are: Quality Quidditch Supplies, the Apothecary, Weasley Wizarding Wheezes, Madam Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, and Gringotts. <em>

_There were many deaths, many injuries, and there have been a few disappearances. The names are in the lists below. Ministry officials have confirmed that the rebuilding of Diagon Alley will start right away. Diagon Alley will be closed until further notice. Everyone is being warned to be very_ _careful._

Harry took a deep breath and looked to the lists. First was the list of deaths. It was a long list.

_Deaths__  
><em>_Peter Andrews__  
><em>_Jack Sims__  
><em>_Tanner Woods__  
><em>_Jesse Peterson__  
><em>_Chris Evans__  
><em>_Alastor Moody__  
><em>_Alison Lopez__  
><em>_Cassie Smith__  
><em>_Samantha Simmons__  
><em>_Kira Anderson__  
><em>_Patricia Culet__  
><em>_Lyra Nelson__  
><em>_Tyler Weber__  
><em>_Brad Robinson__  
><em>_Spencer Martina__  
><em>_Miranda Watson__  
><em>_Mike Hauk__  
><em>_Jacob Thompson__  
><em>_Seth Newton__  
><em>_Monica Macentire__  
><em>_Carmen Murray__  
><em>_May Martinez__  
><em>_Ruthie Wesler__  
><em>_Mark Thiage_

After Moody, Harry didn't know anyone else. He moved onto the _Injured_list. It was smaller.

_Injured__  
><em>_Jason Dawlish__  
><em>_Tara Richards__  
><em>_Derek Hill__  
><em>_Nymphadora Tonks__  
><em>_Harry Potter__  
><em>_Hermione Granger__  
><em>_Ronald Weasley__  
><em>_Fred Weasley__  
><em>_George Weasley__  
><em>_Amy Mallory__  
><em>_Billy Davis__  
><em>_Marcus Stanley__  
><em>_Melanie Crowley_

Once again, after George, Harry didn't know anybody else. He went over to the _Missing_list. It was even shorter. Only seven people.

_Missing  
><em>_Jamie Craine__  
><em>_Asia Curst__  
><em>_Trinity Masterson__  
><em>_Eric Tanner__  
><em>_Matt Reed__  
><em>_Kody Helton__  
><em>_Linda Hicks_

Harry's heart dropped. He didn't know any of the people missing.

"It's so sad. I can't believe Moody's dead," Hermione said sadly.

"Harry?" Ron stated.

"Yeah?"

"Harry, they're not dead, mate. They're not injured and they're not missing. They're fine," Ron told him.

"Yeah. I just want to go home," Harry nodded. "I'm tired. I'm gonna sleep," he added. His friends agreed and they all tried to sleep. Before sleeping, Harry cleared his head. Then he fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, Harry was woken up with Ron and Hermione by Mrs. Weasley Fred, and George.<p>

"Kids, we can go home," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Okay. Mrs. Weasley, what day is it?" Harry asked.

"It's Tuesday night, dear," she answered. Tuesday? They had been unconscious for almost two full days? "Come on. Time to go." They all left the hospital by Floo. When they got to their destination, the trio fell onto the floor.

"That was not how I wanted to get home," Ron groaned.

"No kidding," Harry agreed. "I'll see you guys later. I'm going home."

"Bye, Harry."

"Bye, mate."

"Bye," Harry Flooed to Grimmauld Place.

"Sirius? Remus? That you?" Summer's voice was the first thing Harry heard when he got home.

"No, Summer, it's me. Harry."

"Harry! Oh, thank God! I saw you were on the_ Injured _list with your friends. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Yeah, I'm fine. My friends and I got in the middle of a Death Eater attack and my uncles are gone. I'm brilliant," Harry said sarcastically. "I'm going to bed. I'm still extremely tired," he went to his room. Summer stared after him.

Upstairs, Harry was staring out his window. It was getting dark. Harry sighed. His uncles were missing. He had no idea where they were or what was happening. He sighed again then crawled into his bed. He tried clearing his head again then fell asleep.

* * *

><p>He didn't know how long he had been asleep, but he woke up, aware that he wasn't alone.<p>

"Harry?" a familiar voice said. Harry put his glasses on and everything came into view.

"Harry? Are you okay?" another familiar voice said. Harry looked around.

"Remus! Sirius! You're here!" Harry hugged them.

"Are you all right?" Sirius repeated as Harry hugged Remus.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Where were you? You weren't at the hospital, your names weren't in the paper. I was so worried. Where were you?" Harry said on his bed beside Sirius.

"Sorry, pup. We wanted to come to the hospital when we saw your name and your friends' names in the paper. We had to stay in Diagon Alley and help. Well, first I had to be revived. We had fought with some Death Eaters and I got stunned. Sirius escaped with nothing more than a small scratch. We had to stay and help with the bodies. We had to revive those who had been stunned, help move the injured and the dead. We tried so hard to get to the hospital. By the time we got there, you had been released with your friends. We had gone to the Burrow in case you had gone with the Weasleys and Hermione but Molly said you had come home as soon as you got to the Burrow," Remus explained.

"I thought something happened and no one knew. Is Tonks okay? I saw her name in the paper as well. What about Kingsley?"

"Kingsley is absolutely fine. Not even a scratch. Tonks got a lot of cutting curses and she broke her ankle when she tripped over Moody. That was when we found out he was dead. We don't know how he got killed, but he did," Sirius answered.

"So what happened to you, Ron, and Hermione? Something had to have happened since the Menagerie's gone," Remus asked.

"Well, for a bit, I was unconscious. I had passed out. Hermione and Ron told me what I missed though," Harry started. "It was almost right after you two had left the store. I fell to the floor screaming because Voldemort was almost right in front of the store and my head felt like it was going to burst. Hermione saw him then Lucius Malfoy saw us. Don't know what he did, but he made the store fall apart with us inside.

"Well, my right leg and both of Ron's legs got pinned. We both got buried. Hermione was all right. Just a broken wrist. Since Ron and I were buried she couldn't see us. She had asked what she was supposed to do then I blacked out. Ron and Hermione talked for a couple minutes then Hermione went out looking for someone to help. She was gone for about a half hour and apparently, as soon as she got back to the store, her watch stopped.

"Anyways, she and Ron talked more and came to the fact that Hermione had to dig Ron out because she hadn't found anyone. Not a single person. So, Hermione dug out Ron and the wood that had been pinning him, had left deep cuts in his shins. Other than that, he was all right, so they started digging me out. I was buried deeper. How Hermione did it with her broken wrist, none of us know. Well, I was still out when they got me out. My right ankle, the one that was pinned, was sprained.

"So they helped bring me into Quality Quidditch Supplies. We were looking in the stores still standing. We were looking for you two, Mrs. Weasley, and the twins. They weren't in the Quidditch shop or the Ice cream Parlour, so we went to the Apothecary. We thought Mrs. Weasley might have been there, but she wasn't. We left the store but then my scar felt like it was going to split. Voldemort was down the street. We went back into the Apothecary and we all lay down because Voldemort came. He walked by the store and then stopped at the door. We thought he was going to come in but he didn't. He set the place on fire then left. We couldn't get out through the door so we had to go through a window. The problem was that it was broken so there was still glass, but we had to go.

"Hermione went first. There was a big piece of glass still attached to the frame, and when she jumped down, it cut into her leg pretty badly. When Ron jumped, it cut his arm, and when I jumped, I got a small piece of glass in my hand and the big piece cut my leg. Hermione had torn her sweater apart and we wrapped the pieces around our cuts. She used the last of it to wrap her wrist. So we got out of the Apothecary and we had to look in the joke shop then Gringotts. We knew they must have been in the joke shop. We walked over but we all blacked out as soon as we got there. We woke up yesterday but fell asleep right away. We just woke up at three in the afternoon today. We got our stitches out at six and got released at eight. Hermione has to wear the brace on her wrist for a month, and that's all," Harry finished. Remus and Sirius were staring at him.

"We should have sent you home," Remus stated.

"Don't worry about it. We're fine. It was mostly just cuts. We survived," Harry answered.

"Barely," Sirius said.

"I'm fine. "I'm glad you're back," Harry smiled.

"We're glad you, Ron, and Hermione are all right," Sirius replied.


	33. Chapter 33

"Summer, how did you know something was going to happen?" Sirius yelled.

"Because he calling! The Dark Lord was calling but I didn't go!" she snapped.

"You know, if you had said what was going to happen, we could have prevented Harry and his friends getting hurt!" Sirius shouted.

"You wouldn't let me! If you didn't realize, as soon as I said Harry shouldn't have gone, both of you started yelling at me!" Summer yelled back. After Harry, Sirius, and Remus had finished talking, Sirius went straight downstairs and started yelling at Summer in the living room. Remus and Harry, knowing it was going to last a while, started a chess game. They had already been arguing for twenty minutes.

"That's because you were trying to tell us how to raise Harry! We've been taking care of him for ten years! We don't need your help raising him just because you're here! He's not in your custody!"

"I wasn't trying to tell you anything except that something was going to happen and I thought Harry should stay home! That has nothing to do with raising him! You just assumed I was trying to!"

"Wouldn't be surprised! You seem to be trying pretty damn hard to take Lily's place! If you hadn't left, you would have been trying to be Lily!"

"I am not! I will never try to be Lily or take her place! I'm just trying to set things right! I'm his godmother! I should be in his life!"

"Only if you hadn't completely deserted us to help the wizard who wants him dead and won't stop until he's dead!"

"I'm allowed to try and raise him! He's my godson! If something was to happen to James and Lily, I was supposed to help raise him!"

"That was before you left to help kill him!"

"If you don't remember, you, neither of you could raise him after they died. You were a werewolf and too busy mourning, and you were stuck in Azkaban," Summer muttered. Harry and Remus looked up from their almost finished game when Sirius didn't answer.

"We'll finish later. I'm going to make lunch," Remus murmured and Harry nodded. It was silent for about ten minutes while Sirius and Summer glared at each other. After about another five minutes, lunch was ready.

"Lunch!" he called, putting it on the table. Sirius finally turned away and walked to the kitchen, sitting down.

"I'll eat later," Summer went up to her room. They stared after her then turned back. They looked at Harry and saw he was staring ahead, his expression blank.

"Harry? Are you okay?" Remus asked.

"Hmm?" Harry finally came back down to earth.

"Do you feel all right?" Sirius asked. He felt Harry's forehead.

"I feel fine," Harry moved out from under Sirius' hand. His guardians continued to look at him, worried.

* * *

><p>It had been a week since the attack on Diagon Alley. Harry had had two more Occlumency lessons. There hadn't been much progress and he was getting frustrated. Sirius was even more resentful towards Summer. Both Remus and Sirius noticed that Harry was acting strange. Normally, kids were excited for their birthday, but Harry didn't seem to care. They thought he was sick, but whenever they asked, Harry insisted he was fine, and whenever they felt his head, he didn't have a fever. They were really confused, Harry always seemed to be zoning out and would stay that way for a while. They didn't know what was going on and were getting worried.<p>

"Harry? It's your turn, kiddo. Harry," Sirius said. They were playing chess and Harry had zoned out again.

"Oh, right. Pawn to D3."

"You can't do that."

"Right. Castle to C6."

"Can't do that either."

"Oh. Queen to B2," Harry finally moved a piece that could be moved. He frowned when Sirius pushed the game aside.

"Harry, what's going on?"

"What?"

"You know what. Harry, there's something wrong."

"I'm fine. I'm not sick and I'm not depressed and I'm not in denial. There's nothing wrong," he had told both his uncles the same thing like four times.

"Harry, you're always zoning out and not in the normal way. If something's wrong or something's going on, you know you can tell me and Remus," Sirius answered.

"I'm being serious. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing going on. I know I can tell you guys anything. I always have, but, really, I'm fine. I'm going to have Ron and Hermione over before my Occlumency lesson at six," Harry told him then went to the fire. Sirius listened as Harry got his friends to come over and as they climbed out of the fire. "We're going upstairs."

Sirius nodded as the teens ran upstairs. He looked at the clock and saw it was two-thirty. Remus had been gone since eleven that morning. He had gone out to get some stuff for Harry's birthday, and, with Diagon Alley being destroyed, he had to go somewhere else. He didn't know where his friend had gone but he hoped Remus would be back soon. Sirius sighed and just looked around as he listened to the trio upstairs, talking and laughing.

_This is how his life should be. Have a normal summer and hang out with his friends__, _Sirius thought. _This is how it will be after all of this is over._

* * *

><p>"Hey, Padfoot!" Remus called, walking in the door.<p>

"Hi, Moony. Finally. You get everything?"

"Yeah. Had to go to Cambridge though to get it all. Bradford didn't have anything, neither did Oxford or Nottingham," Remus sighed. "Glad I'm home. Where's Harry?"

"He's upstairs. He invited his friends over until six," Sirius told him.

"Anything from Summer?" Remus asked. Summer hadn't left her room in two days and she wouldn't talk to them, not even Harry.

"Nothing. She hasn't come out all day."

"Of course not. She can't keep doing this. She hasn't eaten in the past two days," Remus frowned.

"She'll come out eventually."

"We'll see," Remus stated.

"Harry? Harry, what are you doing? Harry," they heard Hermione say. She sounded panicky. They ran upstairs and stopped at Harry's bedroom.

"Harry, put your wand down. Harry!" Ron stated. They looked at Harry. He looked to be in some kind of trance. He had his wand raised at Ron and Hermione who were on the bed. They looked in his eyes and saw the same thing. They gasped. They had just seen read flash through Harry's eyes.

"You are not worthy to live. Mudblood and Muggle-lover," Harry said, but it wasn't completely his voice. It sounded to be a mix between Harry, Voldemort, and oddly, Summer. "_Avada Ke__—"_

"_Stupefy_!" Harry fell to the floor. Remus put his wand away.

"Ron. Hermione. Are you all right?" Remus asked.

"We're fine," they nodded.

"Good."

"We're gonna go home. We'll check in later. Bye," they said hurriedly and ran off. Remus levitated Harry to his bed.

"We have to tell Dumbledore," Remus said. Sirius nodded.

* * *

><p>"So, what happened?" Dumbledore asked Remus and Sirius as they stood around Harry's bed.<p>

"We don't know exactly. We heard Hermione talking and she sounded scared. Then we heard Ron tell Harry to put his wand down. We saw Harry pointing his wand at them and when we looked in his eyes, we saw red flash through them. He started talking but it wasn't all his voice. It was a mix between Harry, Voldemort, and, for some reason, Summer. He was about to send the killing curse but Remus stunned him. He had been in some kind of trance." Sirius told the headmaster.

"You said, there was a hint of Summer's voice in Harry's when he spoke, right?" Dumbledore confirmed.

"Yes," Remus nodded.

"I think I might know what's been going on with Harry."

"What?"

"It was a spell I taught one of my students. I had been headmaster already but I still taught her. I don't know why I did."

"What are you talking about? What's the spell? Who was the student?" Remus frowned.

"It's wandless magic. I must call an Order meeting right away," Dumbledore said and ran downstairs. Sirius and Remus didn't follow. They stayed with Harry and listened as the Order members arrived.

"We should go down. We need to hear this," Remus stated. Sirius nodded and they went downstairs.

"I thank you all for coming on short notice. I will get right to it. Years ago, I was still headmaster at Hogwarts, I had a student. A student who wanted to learn a spell. It was wandless magic. She told me she wanted to learn but she wouldn't tell me why, so I taught her. This spell was a 'Power Spell.' It is called _Energienbann. _It is a spell that can take a person over. They try to fight it off but nothing can stop this spell unless the connection is broken. Even Occlumency does not work. If used long enough, this spell can result in the possession of the victim's body and mind. The victim will fade in and out. Zoning out, if you must. This spell makes them forget, sometimes have nightmares all the time." he looked at Remus and Sirius. They were quietly mumbling to each other. "I have only ever taught this spell once. To one person."

"Who?" someone asked.

"Her name was Summer Watts," Dumbledore said and everyone stared at him. Sirius and Remus stopped talking and stared at him.

* * *

><p>"Summer! What the hell are you doing to Harry?" Sirius yelled as he burst into Summer's room.<p>

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to lead to possession. I just wanted him to forget enough to leave. When he left, I was going to take him in. Finish raising him," she answered.

"You can't seriously think she should stay here now," Remus turned to Dumbledore.

"She must. She has nowhere to go and you two are the only ones she knows."

"Look what she's done to Harry! She almost made him kill his friends!" Sirius shouted.

"I didn't mean to. I just wanted to raise him like I should have at the beginning."

"You know why you weren't able to raise him with us," Remus stated.

"What about you two, huh? You didn't get him from the beginning!"

"Summer," Dumbledore warned.

"No! You two are yelling at me? I should be yelling back at you! You didn't get him until he was five years old! He didn't even know about either of you! He was stuck with those Muggles who beat him until he was almost dead or at least unconscious! You got him five years later when he was terrified of people and of being touched, even in the slightest way!" Summer yelled at them.

"That's because Remus was a werewolf and going through depression, and Sirius had been falsely arrested after trying to prove Pettigrew had betrayed my parents. They wanted to take me in but they couldn't. You were gone with Voldemort which is way worse, so don't yell at them for not having me from the beginning either," Harry had suddenly appeared in the hall beside Sirius.

"Hey, kiddo. How long have you been up?" Sirius asked.

"Not long. I woke up and heard yelling. I figured you were fighting with Summer again. Look at that, I was right," Harry answered and leaned into Sirius' side as Sirius put an arm around Harry.

"I am not going to listen to you. You're a kid! You're not even a part of this!" Summer said to Harry.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't you all been talking about me? I just thought that this was about me because you've all used my name like five times," Harry raised an eyebrow. Summer didn't answer.

"Come on, Harry," Sirius whispered and he, Harry, Remus, and Dumbledore went to Harry's room.

"Harry, do you remember much from earlier today?" Dumbledore got right to the point.

"Umm, at around eleven, Remus left to do something, I did homework, I read, and then around quarter to two, I started a chess game with Sirius. We talked about something, and then I had Ron and Hermione over," Harry finished. Remus and Sirius glanced at each other. The spell was definitely broken. With the spell, Harry never would have remembered all that.

"What happened while they were here?" Dumbledore asked. Harry shrugged. He didn't know.

"Harry, you know how Sirius and I have been noticing that you have been zoning out and you haven't been yourself?" Remus replied. Harry nodded. "Well, you've been under a spell. Summer's been doing it."

"Have I done anything?" Harry wondered, worried.

"Not until today," Remus stated.

"What do you mean?"

Sirius and Remus glanced at each other. "Harry, just a little while ago, Summer's spell went too far. It ended up possessing you, and you almost—you almost killed Hermione and Ron," Sirius finally finished.

"What?" Harry breathed.

"They're fine thought. They went home. They said they'd check in later," Remus added.

"Oh my God," Harry whispered. He almost murdered his best friends. They must be terrified. "I almost murdered them?" he said hoarsely.

"It wasn't your fault. It was because of Summer," Sirius assured.

"And we still have to live with her?" Harry frowned. His uncles nodded.

"Harry, are you all right? Headache? Sick? Anything?" Dumbledore asked the teen.

"I'm fine, Professor. Just surprised that we still have to live with Summer," Harry glared at his headmaster.

"I'm glad you're okay. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to talk with Summer," Dumbledore left and went across the hall.

"Guys, I want to ask you something," Harry said.

"What's up, pup?"

"I want to join the Order."

"Harry, we've had this discussion before. You are not joining," Remus stated.

"Come on. Why can't I join?"

"Because you're only fifteen years old! It's too dangerous as well!" Remus said loudly.

"I'm sixteen next Thursday, and I doubt there's anything I haven't already seen or experienced. Come on, I need to know what's happening. This is my war."

"Harry, you haven't—what do you mean 'your war'?" Sirius frowned.

"I agree with Harry. Maybe he should be in the Order," Dumbledore had come back. "He could help us. Go on missions, be a spy. This is his war."

"No! He is not joining! He will not go on missions and will not be a spy for you! He's fifteen! If Sirius could almost get killed, with Aurors with him, how would Harry do any better alone? He's a kid!" Remus yelled.

"And this isn't his war! It's nobody's war! It's a war that's happening that he's unfortunately a part of!" Sirius added.

"But, Remus. Sirius. Listen. This is my war. Dumbledore said so himself. You heard. What about the Prophecy? It's about Voldemort _and_me. I either have to kill him or be killed, and until one of those two things happen, everyone I love is going to die. I want to avenge all those deaths that have already happened and the others before they happen. Mum, Dad, Ted, Hermione's parents, even the Dursleys. I understand not going on missions. I never would have, but I can be a spy. I'm able to do that. I'm not a kid, I'm going to be sixteen in a few days. I'm going to avenge all the deaths or die trying. This is my war. I have to be in the Order so I can get better and have a better chance against Voldemort when the time comes. I need to do this. I have to do this. I don't want to really, but I have to. I'm the one Voldemort chose to be his mortal enemy forever until he killed me. He failed when I was a baby, he failed when I was eleven, he failed when I was twelve, and again this year. He's not going to stop coming after me until I finish this. In order to do that and have a better chance, I need to be in the Order," Harry finished his speech.

"I think he should be in the Order," Dumbledore repeated.

"We know you want him, but that doesn't mean we should let him. Sure he's almost sixteen. Sure he's almost an adult and can make choices, but that doesn't mean we should just allow everything he chooses to do. He's still in our custody. He's ours. If he was yours, it'd be different, but he's not, and he's not joining," Remus said firmly.

"And I don't know what you're telling him to make him think this is his war, but stop. This is no one's war. He may be a part of it but that doesn't mean it's his. I'm with Moony, obviously. He's not joining. And it's the same. We know he's almost an adult, but we can still make some of the decisions. He's not joining and this isn't his war, Albus," Sirius glared at the old man.

"But—" Harry started.

"No! Harry, you're not joining. That's it," Remus said.

"What is going on up here?" a woman said as she entered the bedroom.

"Molly? Why are you still here? Everyone left twenty minutes ago," Remus frowned.

"I was starting to leave but then I heard all this yelling. What's going on?" she answered.

"Well, we were yelling at Summer for what she did to Harry, then we were yelling at Dumbledore for agreeing to allow Harry into the Order," Sirius told her.

"Harry wants to join but we won't let him," Remus added.

"I should say not! He's only a boy! He's been through enough and has enough to deal with without being in the Order. He will not join!" Molly shouted angrily.

"Again, I'm not a kid. I'm sixteen in a few days," Harry repeated for the third time.

"That doesn't make you eligible to join! You're still considered a child!" Molly shouted again.

"I'm glad I'm learning all this now instead of when I'm seventeen," Harry said sarcastically.

"Molly, we know he's not of-age but that doesn't make him a child. We're not letting him join even if he wants to. He doesn't need you telling him he can't join and that he's a child," Sirius stated. Molly and the others were quiet. Sirius and Molly didn't get along often and everyone could tell.

"Goodbye," Molly finally said and left. Everyone sighed.


	34. Chapter 34

Harry screamed and sobbed as his uncle urged Dudley to keep abusing him sexually. Harry begged them to stop but they wouldn't. He fell to the floor crying lightly as the memory stopped.

"Harry? Oh my God. I'm so sorry," Remus kneeled beside Harry, dropping his wand, and hugging Harry. The teen gripped Remus' shirt and started ruining it with his tears. "I'm sorry, pup."

"It's okay. I'm fine," Harry sniffed. His tears stopped and he just rested against Remus' chest. They were having and Occlumency lesson and Harry was getting better.

"Are you sure? We don't have to do anymore. We can stop or today," Remus suggested.

"No. We haven't done a lesson in a while. I'm all right," Harry pulled back.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked again.

"Yeah. Yeah, let's go," Harry nodded and Remus helped him up.

"Okay. Tell me when you're ready," Remus said, picking up his wand. Harry nodded and shut his eyes. He tried what Remus had suggested. He imagined all his thoughts and memories were in a room.

"Okay. Ready," Harry told his uncle.

"_Legilimens__!" _Remus shouted. As soon as Harry felt the spell enter his mind, he imagined an iron door shutting on the room where his thoughts and memories were. When he was sure the door was securely closed, he focused on pushing Remus out of his head. He stumbled backwards, exhausted.

"Excellent, Harry! That was brilliant!" Remus congratulated.

"Thanks. Is there any water left?" Harry panted, sitting on the cool floor.

"Yeah, here," Remus gave him the last bottle of water and sat beside him.

"That was really hard," Harry sighed, leaning against Remus' shoulder.

"Yeah, but you did great. It only took you four lessons."

"I really wanted to learn quickly because of Voldemort and Summer," Harry replied.

"Well, you learned very fast. I'm so proud of you," Remus hugged Harry and kissed the side of his head. Harry smiled. "Hungry?"

"Yeah."

"Come on. I'll make lunch," they walked downstairs and to the kitchen.

"Where's Sirius?" Harry asked as he sat at the table and Remus started cooking.

"Work. He'll be home around dinner time."

"When's that?"

"The same time as always."

"Not much has been the same lately."

"Good point. He'll be home around six or seven," Remus told him. "Summer, would you like some lunch?" he added to Summer in the living room.

"Sure. Thank you," Summer nodded and took a seat at the table.

"Why did he go to work?"

"Because he has to work to make money to help support us," Remus grinned.

"Remus," Harry groaned.

Remus laughed. "He's back on his Death Eater case," Remus told him, sitting down and giving the others their food.

"Have they even gotten anywhere on that case since before I was kidnapped?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"No," Remus said shortly. They continued talking as they ate. Summer was silent like always. "Have you heard anything from Hermione and Ron?"

"No. It's been two days and they haven't sent any letters. They haven't answered any of mine either. I've sent like found, but they haven't answered," Harry answered sadly. "They're probably terrified that I'm going to try and kill them again."

"You don't know that. They'll come around, don't worry," Remus stated.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. Remus looked at him then took all the plates. He cleaned them and put them away as Summer went to her room and Harry went to the library.

Remus, after cleaning, went and sat in the living room. He got his files on the werewolves and started working. A month before, a couple werewolves from Greyback's pack had been caught. They had been given Veritaserum and told everything Remus wanted to know. He learned that Greyback was moving his pack to somewhere around either Jackson, Mississippi or Montgomery, Alabama. As soon as he learned this, he immediately sent a couple of his friends who were werewolves to join the pack. If he had some people in the pack, he knew he would finally be able to stop Greyback. His friends had been gone for three weeks and he knew they had gotten into the pack. All he had to do was wait.

While he was working, Harry came back with a book in his hands.

"Found something you haven't read, did you?" Remus teased.

"Ha ha. Very funny. Any word from Kevin and Simon?" Harry asked, referring to Remus' friends who were with Greyback.

"Nope, but something should come soon. Hopefully, anyways," Remus shook his head. Harry nodded then began reading his book while Remus worked. A few times they talked, but they mostly stayed quiet, each doing their own thing. Quicker than they thought, it was five-thirty and Remus started dinner. Harry went upstairs to wash up and decided to try sending another letter to his friends.

"Remus?"

"What is it, Summer?" Remus stated, not turning to her.

"I wanted to talk," she said, slowly walking closer to him.

"I'm kind of busy."

"Can I just talk then?"

"Knock yourself out."

"Kay. I know Sirius hates me and he has so many reasons to. I know you hate me too and you have just as many reasons, but why do you have to be so keen on keeping Harry away from me? I love him and Sirius and you. I want to be in this family."

"Summer, we're not keeping Harry away from you for us. It's for him. He said he didn't want to know you and he's standing by that, so we're standing with him. If he had chosen to get to know you, we would go with him. We're doing what Harry wants, not what we want even if it is the same choice," Remus stated.

"I'm having Dumbledore get rid of my Mark tomorrow afternoon. I'll never belong to the Dark Lord again after tomorrow."

"Don't think that just because you're not going to be Marked anymore that we're going to accept you like family."

"I don't expect that. Remus, remember that one day a few days before summer vacation in fifth year? I was with Sirius, you were with Michelle, and Lily was with James. We had gone and sat under that tree like always and we played Truth or Dare," Summer replied.

Remus turned and jumped. He hadn't realized how close she had gotten. "Yeah. I remember. What about it?"

"Do you remember what Lily had dared me to do?"

"Didn't she dare you to jump into the Black Lake and touch the Giant Squid?" Remus answered. He knew what the actual dare had been but didn't want to admit he knew.

"No. That's what James dared Sirius to do. What Lily dared me to do was different. Sirius and Michelle got really jealous. Remember yet?" Summer was so close she could have been mistaken for hugging him. Remus didn't answer. "Maybe I can help jog your memory," she whispered. She tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his. At first, Remus was too shocked to do anything, but before he could pull away, the door opened and Sirius walked in. Remus roughly pushed Summer away.

_Uh oh__,_Remus thought when he saw Sirius. Sirius was furious as he looked between them."What the hell is going on?" he shouted.

"Sirius, it's not what it looked like. She—" Remus said quickly.

"So I didn't just see you two kissing? If you weren't kissing, what in the hell were you doing?" Remus flinched. Sirius was getting madder and louder.

"Yes, we were kidding, but I—" Remus said.

"WHY THE HELL WERE YOU KISSING HER? SURE, I TALK TO HER AND I GET HIT, BUT I GUESS YOU KISSING HER IS ABSOLUTELY FINE!" Sirius yelled.

"Sirius, I—" Remus took a very fast glance around. Summer had gone. It was just him and Sirius. Great.

"YOU WHAT? YOU DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS A DEATH EATER? YOU DIDN'T THINK I WOULD BE HOME YET? YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T FIND OUT? YOU THOUGHT IT COULD BE A SECRET BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU?" Sirius thundered.

"Sirius, you don't understand. She—"

"WHAT'S NOT TO UNDERSTAND? IT'S PRETTY STRAIGHT-FORWARD FROM MY POINT OF VIEW! I COME HOME FROM WORK AND CATCH YOU KISSING THE DEATH EATER WE'VE BEEN FORCED TO TAKE IT! CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT DIDN'T WE MAKE IT CLEAR THAT WE _BOTH_HATE HER?"

"Sirius, she kissed me. I had nothing to do with it," Remus tried to explain.

"I'M SURE! EVERYONE ALWAYS SAYS THE OTHER ONE STARTED IT! I THOUGHT WE WERE BEST FRIENDS! GUESS I WAS WRONG! JAMES NEVER WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THAT! I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD EITHER, BUT I GUESS THINGS CHANGE!" Sirius yelled. He glared deeply at Remus one last time then went to his room.

"Sirius, I—wait. Sirius," Remus said but Sirius ignored him completely. He looked to the floor then turned back to the food. He was fighting hard against the tears in his eyes that threatened to fall. He knew it was extremely bad when Sirius used James as a comparison in the situation. Still fighting against the tears, he dished up dinner and put it on the table, sitting down.

"Dinner!" he called, choking at the end. Harry came down and sat across from Remus, and then Summer and Sirius came. They sat in the remaining seats. It was very quiet as they ate. No one spoke and neither Remus nor Sirius ate. Sirius sat there while Remus pushed his food around on his plate. Harry and Summer were eating and also silent. Summer was uncomfortable, knowing she was the cause of the huge fight. Harry was quiet because he had heard the whole fight like he had been right in between them.

It seemed to take forever for dinner to end and when it did, Sirius left for his room right away. Summer quickly followed suit, but Harry stayed put.

"Remus?" Harry said quietly after a few minutes of silence.

His uncle jumped. "What is it, Harry? I know you heard everything."

"Yeah, I did. Hard to miss," Harry tried to joke but stopped right away when he saw Remus' face. "He can't stay mad at you forever, can he?"

"He's been mad at me like this before. He pretended I didn't exist for almost a month. You have no idea what he's capable of when he's this mad," Remus replied.

"Why were you almost crying? Did Sirius say something at the end? I only got parts of the end because he got quieter."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Remus answered. He changed the subject. "Did you finish your letter to Ron and Hermione?"

"Almost. I got called when I was getting close to finishing. I also stopped when I heard all the fighting. So what happened?"

"Summer and I were talking then she kissed me and before I could stop it, Sirius walked in the door," Remus told him simply.

"And he thinks you kissed her or something like that," Harry guessed. Remus nodded. "He won't stay mad for long. He'll probably be fine tomorrow."

"We'll see. Go finish your letter then finish your Potions essay," Remus told Harry and the teen ran up to his room. Remus sighed. He went back to the living room and started working again. It was completely silent in the house. Remus stayed in the living room while he worked. Harry stayed in his room working on his summer work after finishing his letter. Summer and Sirius stayed in their bedrooms and didn't come out for the rest of the night.

At midnight, Remus went up to bed, checking in on Harry first. Harry had fallen asleep with his Potions homework covering him. Remus gathered all his homework and set it on his desk then covered him in the covers.

"Night, pup. Love you," Remus kissed his forehead then went to bed himself.

* * *

><p><em>Ridiculous<em>_, _Harry thought when he saw Sirius completely ignore Remus. Remus had sat across from Sirius at the table but Sirius pretended he was eating alone. It was the day after the fight and Harry's thought on Sirius forgiving Remus had been way off. Sirius pretending Remus didn't exist was worse than other times. Other fights that they had only lasted either a few hours or a day. Harry groaned as he thought it through. He knew that if they hadn't already made up, it would be a while before they did.

"Harry," Sirius had appeared in the living room beside Harry.

"Yeah?" Harry replied. Sirius whispered something in his ear. "Why can't you tell him yourself? He's right there," Harry frowned.

"Just tell him."

"Ugh, fine," Harry got up off the sofa and went to Remus in the kitchen. "Sirius wants me to tell you that Kingsley told him that Simon has been killed by Greyback. He doesn't know why they got told instead of you."

"Great. Tell him it's good to know and I'll try get Kevin home in a couple days so nothing happens to him," Remus told Harry who rolled his eyes and walked back to Sirius.

"Remus said it's good to know and he's going to try and get Kevin home in a couple days so nothing happens to him."

"Good idea. Tell him—" Harry stopped him.

"I'm not a bloody owl! Why can't you just talk to each other? You're acting like Remus committed murder on Tonks or something! You're supposed to be the adults! I'm supposed to be the kid, remember?" he said angrily and ran to his room. "Ugh! And I thought I was childish at times. It's like passing a note in second grade," Harry said to himself and he lay on his bed. He started tossing a baseball in the air and catching it. He stopped when Hedwig flew in his window and perched on his knee. She was holding a letter in her beak. "Hey, girl. Who's that from?" he took the letter and opened it. It was from Ron and Hermione.

_Dear Harry,_  
><em>We're sorry for not answering any of your letters. This is going to sound bad, but we were scared. We were afraid that it might happen again. We don't mean to sound bad but that's the truth. Anyways, we hope everything's going all right.<em>_  
><em>_Love,__  
><em>_Ron & Hermione_

Harry smiled. He figured they were scared and he was glad they were talking to him again. He sat at his desk and wrote back.

_Ron & 'Mione,__  
><em>_It's all right. I kind of figured you were scared. I would have been too if it had been me. It doesn't sound bad at all. It's natural. Things have been okay here. There's one problem though. Sirius and Remus are in a huge fight. Sirius is pretending Remus doesn't exist. It's ridiculous! They were using me like I was a bloody owl when they were only three steps away from each other. This fight better not last long. It'll kill me.__  
><em>_-Harry_

He sent Hedwig off then he heard the yelling.

"Look, Remus, I'm sorry! But you can't hold me fully responsible for this stupid fight between you and Sirius!" he heard Summer shout.

"The hell I can't! This is all because of you! If you hadn't kissed me, this never would have happened! Sirius' wouldn't hate me and want to murder me right now!" Remus yelled back.

"Oh, come on, Remus! I know you want to kiss just as much as I did! You didn't even try to pull away or anything until Sirius walked in the bloody door!"

"Why the hell would I want to kiss you? I freakin' hate you! I don't even want you here! I don't want you around Harry or myself or Sirius! And it's not my fault I didn't pull away sooner! You were attached to me like we had the same body!"

"Just because you say you hate me, doesn't make it so! You obviously wanted to kiss since you let me get so close!"

"Summer, just back off! I didn't want to kiss! I never did! You came onto me! I hate you! I'm not making that up, I mean it! I seriously hate you! You were only able to get so close because when I turned around you were already so close! People would have thought we were hugging! Just stay away from me! If you haven't noticed, I love Sirius! He's my brother! Now you've made it so he absolutely hates me! Stay away from me, Summer! I want to fix this with Sirius, but I can't if you keep acting like we're a couple!" Remus yelled at her then ran up to his bedroom.

_This is getting crazy. I'm the only one not fighting with someone__,_ Harry sighed. He was slightly annoyed. He had to find a way to get his uncles to talk. He lay on his bed and started playing with the baseball again, thinking._ This is going to be difficult__, _he groaned.


	35. Chapter 35

It was seven days after Remus and Sirius' fight and nothing had gotten better. His birthday was in six days and he was determined to get Sirius and Remus talking by then. The only relatively good thing that had happened, though it was only good to her, Summer had had her Dark Mark removed. Harry had been thinking about how to get his uncles to talk and he thought he had finally figured something out. If it worked, he'd have to wait and see.

"Sirius, just talk to him. He feels really bad about it even if it wasn't his fault. Please, just talk to him," Harry said to Sirius.

"No. I'm not talking to him, Harry. I don't care if it wasn't his fault. It still happened. He still let it happen."

Harry groaned. "You had better talk to him before my birthday. I don't want to have a party where you two are fighting and can't even be in the same room!" Harry snapped. He was glaring at Sirius. Sirius shook his head and stood up. As he headed for the stairs, Harry took Sirius' wand out of his pocket. He put it in his own pocket with Remus' wand. With his idea, it'd be better if they didn't have their wands.

_Time to make them friends again__, _Harry took a deep breath. He went down the hall and hid in the shadows by the library. "Remus! Sirius! I need you both in the library! Both of you!" Harry called for his uncles. He watched as Sirius walked into the library then Remus right after. Harry grabbed the door handle and, before closing the door, said, "You two are going to work this out. Now talk," he shut the door and turned the key, locking it.

"Harry, you are in so much trouble," he heard Remus say.

"Where the hell are our wands?" Sirius shouted.

"I have them," Harry answered.

"Harry Potter! Unlock this door and give us our wands!" Remus ordered angrily.

"No! I'm not letting you out until you two talk! I'm tired of you fighting. You have me acting like the adult right now. You both have always told me to be the kid. Let me be the kid then! Not the adult! Now work this out!" Harry replied. He grabbed a chair and sat down, leaving against the wall. He looked at his watch. It was one in the afternoon.

For a long time, Remus and Sirius said nothing. They sat in chairs and ignored each other. After about an hour, Sirius finally spoke.

"Why did you kiss her, Remus? I thought we were best friends," Sirius said quietly.

"We are, or were, I guess. You wouldn't listen long enough for me to explain."

"You didn't need to explain anything! It was pretty clear!" Sirius said angrily.

"That's what you think! I was trying to tell you the truth but you just kept screaming at me so I couldn't say anything! Then you brought up James and it threw me off guard. That snip hurt like hell," Remus replied, loudly and angrily at first then calming and quieting. They fell quiet and they heard Harry groan. They also heard him talking to himself.

"You try to get people to stop fighting but they always end up fighting more. Ugh!"

"You know, I'm sorry for the snip about James. Really," Sirius apologized.

"It's fine. You were mad. It could have been prevented if I was able to explain."

"Ah no!" they heard Harry say.

"I told you," Sirius was mad again, "there was no need to explain anything!"

"Yeah, I got it. I got it," Remus sighed.

"Damn it already!" they heard Harry curse.

"Harry, watch your language!" Remus scolded.

"Sorry, but this isn't what I meant when I told you to talk, and this cat is killing me. Ow! Get off!" Harry answered then shouted.

"Cat?" Remus and Sirius said together in confusion.

"Yeah, it's black and its claws are killing me."

"Harry, we don't have a cat," Sirius stated.

"I know that. I live here, remember? We only have a dog and Hedwig, but there's a cat here. Black, not very furry, blue eyes."

"We don't—Summer!" Sirius and Remus said. They ran to the door.

"Harry, let us out! Get away from the cat! It's Summer! Let us out!" Remus shouted as he and Sirius pounded on the door.

"Get—away—from—me!" they heard Harry growl then a cat meow. "She's gone."

"Good, now let us out," Sirius stated.

"No. You still haven't made up. For that to happen, Sirius, you have to listen to Remus. Now do it," Harry ordered.

Sirius turned to Remus. "Well?"

"Sirius, I swear I didn't kiss her. Look, you were at work and I was making dinner because I knew you were going to be home soon. While I was cooking, Summer came into the kitchen. She wanted to talk so I let her. At first we were talking about why we were keeping Harry away from her. Then, she changed the subject. She started talking about that day down by the lake a few days before summer in fifth year when we played Truth or Dare. When she brought it up, I turned around and she was right there. Like I told her, someone would have thought we were hugging. Anyways, she asked if I remembered what Lily had dared her to do. I remembered, but instead I told her what James had dared you to do. She said no, that what Lily had dared her to do was different and had made you and Michelle jealous. I didn't answer so she came closer and said maybe she could jog my memory. Then she kissed me. I was just pushing her off when you walked in. I swear I had nothing to do with this. She kissed me. Please believe me," Remus told Sirius what happened.

Sirius stayed quiet as he debated on whether or not to believe his friend or not. After what seemed like an eternity to Remus, Sirius smiled. "I knew you could never do that. I'm sorry, Remus. Really. I was wrong. I should have let you explain before I chose to ignore you for a week. I'm really sorry," Sirius apologized.

"It's all right. You can afford to be a git sometimes," Remus grinned.

"Glad to hear it," Sirius clapped Remus on the shoulder.

"Now, can I let you out or are you going to start fighting again as soon as the door's unlocked?" Harry said.

"Let us out, kiddo," they heard the key click and the door opened.

"How much trouble am I in?" Harry said.

Remus knelt in front of him and looked into his eyes. "Heaps," he held out his hand and Harry, knowing right away what his uncle wanted, slid the wands into his waiting hand. "Now, what time is it?"

"Almost three," Harry answered.

"Do you have any more summer work?" Remus asked. Harry nodded. "Go do it. Go," Harry groaned as he got pushed to the stairs. He looked to Sirius for help but his godfather was grinning. He sighed and trudged up the stairs.

"Is he getting grounded?" Sirius wondered as they got drinks.

"No."

"Then why—"

"Because, he's only in trouble for taking our wands. He just has to do a few extra chores around the house. Like cleaning his room, for one. I swear, if he takes our wands again, he'll be grounded for life," Remus replied. Sirius laughed. "Did you actually go in the Black Lake and touch the squid?"

"No. Chickened out. That's when Lily came up with that 'men are kings' thing."

"Oh yeah. What was that again? Men are kings—"

"'Men are kings, kings are rulers, rulers are thirty centimetres, still feel like a man?'," Sirius quoted. "She was harsh," they both laughed.

"That she was," Remus agreed.

"Do you think Summer will do anything else to Harry?" Sirius suddenly said.

"Dunno. She better not. If she does, she's out. I don't care what Dumbledore says," Remus stated.

"Ditto," they clinked their bottles together then took drinks.

* * *

><p>"Summer, come here," Harry said from his bedroom.<p>

"Yes?"

"Why did you kiss Remus?"

"Because I wanted to."

"You made it so they hated each other for a week. They almost didn't make up, one of them could have left."

"Exactly the idea," she muttered.

"What?" Harry frowned. He shook his head and used the wall for support. He was suddenly feeling dizzy.

"That was the idea. If you have noticed, I want you for myself. I want to raise you like I should have all those years ago instead of those idiots who can't even keep a job," Summer growled.

Harry shut his eyes then opened them. He felt ready to fall over. "They keep jobs fine! I will never be yours! I'm not even going to get into how you think you should have raised me instead of two bachelors. You could have if you stayed with Sirius, but you didn't. you left so you lost your chance," Harry swayed. "Now, out of my room and excuse me," Harry stumbled to the stairs and walked down them.

"Harry? Is that you?" Sirius called.

"Yeah," Summer was behind Harry but he didn't care.

"You're supposed to be doing your homework," Remus said.

"Guys, I don't feel too good. I feel horrible actually," he was leaning on the fridge to stay standing.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know. I'm really dizzy. I feel like I'm going to fall over."

"You might be catching something," Remus said. Harry listened as his guardians stood and walked to the kitchen. "Oh my God!"

"Harry, you're white as a ghost!" Sirius gasped. Harry was pure white and was starting to sweat. He looked like death. "We have to get you to bed," the older wizards helped Harry up the stairs.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I've never seen this before. It's not a regular sickness," Remus put a hand on Harry's forehead. "My God. His temperature must be through the roof."

"Harry. Harry, look at me," Sirius said. Harry's eyes had closed and he wouldn't open them again. "Remus."

"I can't do anything. I don't know what's wrong," Remus said, his eyes full of worry.

"I know what's wrong," they spun around and saw Summer in the doorway.

"What did you do to him?" Remus glared.

"You know, my mother never died. She's still alive. She's in Albania."

Remus frowned. "What did you do to Harry?"

"Do you remember that one day I told you that I had something in my blood from my mother?" Summer looked at Sirius. He nodded. "What's in my blood?"

"Vampire venom."

"Exactly. If I bite people when I'm human, they turn into a vampire, but if I bite then when I'm a cat, they only get poisoned. Takes about ten minutes to start and then that person has exactly five minutes to live. Harry has about three minutes left," Summer replied casually. They looked at her, horrified.

"How could you?" Sirius breathed and turned back to his dying godson. Remus quickly took out his wand and waved it. A leopard protruded from the end and ran off.

"Either he lives with me or he doesn't live at all," Summer threatened. "He has two minutes left."

"Harry, come on, kiddo. Don't leave us. Come on. Stay with us," Sirius whispered. He had tears in his eyes as he watched Harry's life slip away. Remus stared at them, fighting his own tears that had formed.

"One minute," Summer said in a sing-song voice.

"Please, Harry. Please stay with us. We can't lose you," Sirius' tears had spilled over and Remus' were falling slowly.

"Remus? Sirius?" someone called from downstairs.

"Up in Harry's room! Hurry, please!" Remus called. They listened as someone ran up the stairs and saw Snape run into the room.

"Thirty seconds," Summer stated.

"My God. Excuse me, Sirius. I need to help him," Snape went to Harry's side. He pulled a stone out of his pocket.

"Fifteen…fourteen…thirteen…twelve…" Summer started counting.

"I need one of you to give me some of your blood. He's not a vampire, but for this poisoning, I need it," Snape said.

"Eleven…ten…nine…eight…" Summer continued.

Sirius volunteered. "I'll do it."

"Okay, cut your wrist and fill this up to the second line," Snape handed Sirius a small glass tube and pointed at the second line.

"Seven…six…five…four…" Summer was almost done. Sirius quickly cut his wrist and put blood into the tube. Snape took it from him and put the stone into Harry's throat. He waited a couple seconds then poured the blood into the boy's mouth. Snape put a hand over Harry's heart, nodded to himself, put his fingers to Harry's neck, and nodded again.

"He'll be fine now. He'll be weak for about a day or so. Maybe less. As for her, I'd change up the current situation. Harry will be fine. If he starts to sweat heavily, put two to four drops of blood into his mouth. That will help. Goodbye," Snape told them and left.

"He's right. We have to change everything. Summer, you won't be staying here for very long," Remus pointed at her. He turned his back on her and looked to Harry.

"I'm not going anywhere except Russia with Harry," Summer said. They turned and were facing the end of Summer's wand. They put their hands on their own wands.

"Summer, why are you doing this?" Sirius stated.

"Just trying to get those years that I missed back."

"Summer, you know—" she cut Remus off.

"Shut up already! I'm sick and tired of hearing that! Now, you are going to let me leave here with Harry!"

"No, we're not. You're not going anywhere with him," Remus replied.

"Either you let me leave or I kill you," Summer pointed her wand at Sirius. Remus' eyes grew wide but Sirius looked calm.

"Kill me then," Sirius dared. Remus started breathing very fast as he looked between them.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" the green light went straight at Sirius and filled the room, blinding all of them.

* * *

><p>"You've wanted to do that for a while, haven't you?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.<p>

"Oh yeah," Sirius grinned. Kingsley and Tonks laughed.

After Summer sent the Killing Curse at Sirius, he stayed on the floor. Remus was horrified as he saw his friend fall. What they didn't know was that Sirius had done a non-verbal Shield Spell. Summer had smirked and turned her back. She was going to her room and was going to pack her stuff. When she left, Sirius followed.

"Summer Watts, you're under arrest for attempted murder of a Ministry official," he had said. He had waved his wand and handcuffed her. She glared. "Remus, stay here with Harry. I have to make a visit to the Ministry," and he had gone to the Ministry, quickly meeting up with Kingsley and Tonks. Together they proved to the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, that Summer had tried to kill Sirius. She was quickly sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Now Sirius, Kingsley, and Tonks were chatting in Sirius' office.

"So where's Remus? I guess you two stopped fighting?" Tonks said.

"He's at home, watching Harry. How do you know we were fighting?" Sirius furrowed his eyebrows at his cousin.

"What? Harry and I talk. He told me what was going on three days into the fight," Tonks shrugged.

"Of course," Sirius rolled his eyes. "Anyways, no. We're not fighting anymore. Harry made us talk," he added.

"Why were you fighting this time?" Kingsley asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Nothing much. Summer kissed Remus, idiot here saw, got mad, and wouldn't let Remus explain until today but that's because he was forced by his fifteen year old nephew. He thought Remus kissed her, not the other way around like it was," Tonks replied simply and casually.

"Wow. Harsh," Kingsley stated.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "All right, all right. Let's move on, people. The fight's over," he sighed. They shrugged, still grinning, and Sirius shook his head.

"You should probably get home, huh? In case Harry wakes up. Tell him we said hi and we'll try to visit soon and if not, we'll see you three at his birthday," Tonks responded and Sirius nodded.

"See you later," Sirius left his office and Flooed home. While stepping out of the fire, he tripped and fell, cursing. When he got up, he smelled food and went to the kitchen. Salad, chicken, and cooked vegetables had been made. He grabbed a plate and filled it up. He sat at the table and dug in.

"Padfoot? That you?" Remus was descending the stairs.

"Yeah, it's me," Sirius said as Remus appeared. "Has Harry woken up yet?"

"No, only stirred. Might not wake until tomorrow," Remus shook his head. "What happened with Summer?"

"Life in Azkaban," Sirius replied shortly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep."

"Good."

"What about Dumbledore?"

"What about him?"

"Well, he'll be pretty mad that we sent her to prison."

"Screw that. She tried to kill you and Harry. I think he'll let us slide this time," Remus told him.

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Quarter to ten."

"That late already?" Sirius gasped. Remus nodded. "Wow. Already have to go to bed," Remus rolled his eyes, grinning.

"Hey, I never asked. How is everyone taking Moody's death?"

"Better now. Place was a wreck when I got there after the attack. I made a bunch of people take a few days off to grieve. It's much better now," Sirius answered. He finished his plate and washed it. "How is Harry? Did you have to give him more blood?"

"No, he's fine. Breathing slowed, heart slowed, pulse slowed, and he stopped sweating. Like Snape said, he'll be fine but weak," Remus said.

"Good. Well, I'll go see him then I'm gonna get to bed. G'night, Moony."

"G'night, Sirius," Remus followed Sirius up the stairs but went to his bedroom, while Sirius went to Harry's.

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius whispered to the sleeping boy. He sat on the bed and looked at Harry. He pushed hair out of the teen's face. Harry was slowly getting his colour back. Sirius watched as Harry stirred.

"Sirius?" Harry mumbled, his eyes open a bit.

"Hey, kiddo. How are you?" Sirius whispered.

"All right. I can't feel my body. Can't move," Harry muttered.

"You're going to be fine. Go back to sleep. You need to rest. I'll see you in the morning. Love you, Harry," Sirius kissed Harry's forehead then walked to the door.

"Night, Sirius. Love you," Harry yawned and drifted to sleep as Sirius shut the door. Sirius sighed and went to bed.


	36. Chapter 36

"Kevin, come home. Simon's already dead. You could be next. Come home," Remus said to the holograph picture of his werewolf friend, Kevin Baxter, coming from his wand.

"Remus, seriously. Simon got killed because he was being a smartass to Greyback. I've made a plan. I'll be fine. I'm not coming home. Not until I do what you want to happen. Talk to you later, Remus," Kevin's picture was gone.

"Kevin—damn it! He's in the middle of Alabama with a very pissed Fenrir Greyback. Idiot," Remus muttered. It was a couple days after the poisoning and Remus was trying desperately to get Kevin home. Harry was almost fully recovered and was very excited for h is birthday in four days time.

"Come on, Sirius. Tell me where we're going for my birthday," Harry said. He had been arguing with his uncles for two days to tell him where they were having the party. They wouldn't tell and Harry was getting annoyed.

"No. You have to wait until Thursday. Now stop badgering us about it," Sirius replied.

"Come on already," Harry groaned.

"Nope. Have you let Hedwig out?" Sirius stated.

"Yeah," Harry nodded as they walked into the living room where Remus was pacing.

"Good. Morning, Remus. Whoa. What's up? Something wrong?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing much, just that I'm going to lose Kevin just like I lost Simon."

"Won't come home?" Sirius guessed.

"No. He said he had made a plan but didn't tell me what it is. He's an idiot. Who would stay there? Who?" Remus said.

"You," Sirius and Harry answered together.

Remus stared at them. "Well, yeah—but—I—shut up!" he stomped to the kitchen. Harry and Sirius chuckled.

"So, Sirius," Harry said.

"No."

"Humph," Harry crossed his arms. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"If you haven't noticed, we're not telling," Remus stated, making breakfast.

"Your point?" Harry could almost hear Remus' eyes rolling with Sirius. Suddenly Remus was in the living room.

"Padfoot. Shall we give him part of his gift now or wait?" Remus grinned. Harry frowned. There was bound to be a catch.

"Hmm, yes, I think we shall, Moony," Sirius grinned as well.

"What's the catch?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You get part of your gift now and you have to stop bugging us about your birthday. Deal?" Remus replied.

"Deal," Harry agreed quickly. His uncles smiled. Remus tossed Harry keys and Sirius tossed him a small package. Harry opened it. It was a knife.

"Keys and a knife?" Harry frowned. "You're giving me a car and you want me to commit murder?"

"No, not a car," Sirius shook his head, still grinning.

"And, no, we don't want you to commit murder," Remus added.

"So you want me to steal a car and carve a pumpkin?"

"Should we just tell him?" Remus sighed.

"Only about the knife. Not the keys yet," Sirius answered. "The knife was mine. It opens every door there is that's locked.

"Also, look on the handle."

Harry looked. In small gold lettering it said, '_Love you forever, Harry. Love, Sirius and Remus__'._

"Thanks. I love it," Harry thanked. "Now what the hell are the bloody keys for? Sorry," Remus glared at Sirius.

"What?" Sirius said defensively.

"You know what. You need to watch what you say around him. He's too much like you already," Remus scolded. Sirius shrugged. Remus scowled.

"Guys? Me? Over here. Keys?" Harry got their attention. "Are they for a car?"

"No."

"A bus?"

"No."

"A truck?"

"No."

"A van?"

"No."

"A dragon?"

"N—a dragon?" they furrowed their eyebrows. Harry shrugged. They sighed. "No."

"Help me!" Harry whined.

"Just tell him, Padfoot."

"Fine. Harry, those keys are for my motorbike. We're giving it to you," Sirius told him. Harry's mouth dropped open.

"You're kidding?"

"Nope," they said.

"Oh. My. God," he said each word individually. "Why are you giving me the motorbike? You love it," Harry asked.

"I do," Sirius agreed.

"Then why—" Harry was confused.

"It's your sixteenth birthday. I love you more than that bike. You'll have more use for it than I ever will. Also, I don't mean to sound bad or mean or anything, but I think you're very lucky to have made it to your sixteenth birthday," Sirius explained.

Harry looked in Sirius' eyes. He was right. At times, especially lately, Harry had been amazed that he made it to his sixteenth birthday. It had been love that saved him on Halloween when he should have died with his parents. After that, it all was luck. He was lucky to be alive. Lucky to have made it this far. Had he almost died over the years? Yes. Numerous times, but in four days, he would be sixteen. He made it sixteen years…with luck. That luck was running low though. How much longer could he last?

"Thanks. I love them," Harry smiled and hugged them.

"Everything's going to be all right, pup," Remus whispered as he hugged Harry. Harry sighed. He obviously hadn't missed the moisture in Harry's eyes. Harry nodded.

* * *

><p>Sirius grinned as he watched the trio and Ginny run around outside through the kitchen window. Though Harry knew he would be seeing his friends in two days at his birthday, Harry begged to have them over for the day and have Ron and Hermione sleep over. He would have had Ginny sleep over too but she was sleeping over at Luna Lovegood's and staying there until the day of Harry's birthday.<p>

Sirius had to go to work in two hours so he was able to watch the kids until Remus got back. Remus had had to go down to the Ministry to his department to sort out everything with Kevin Baxter staying in Greyback's pack, Simon Gale's murder which was committed by Greyback, and just Fenrir Greyback and his pack in general. Apparently they were moving again. They were moving from Jackson, Mississippi to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Remus was stressed and angry when he left and Sirius suspected he would be more stressed when he got home. Sirius smiled again then started heating up the food Remus had left in the fridge for lunch.

* * *

><p>"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked Ron as they changed back to human from their Animagi forms.<p>

"I saw her and Ginny run off over there," Ron pointed towards a clearing.

"What?"

"Come on. We have to get them back. We're not allowed in the clearing. It's not protected with the wards," the boys changed back and went to the clearing.

_Where are they_?Harry thought.

_Dunno__, _Ron thought.

_Can—you—Ron! We can hear each other's thoughts_!Harry exclaimed.

_Cool. Maybe we can with Hermione and Ginny __too, _Ron suggested.

_Let's try when we get to the clearing__,_ Harry answered. They continued for a couple more minutes and then they were in the clearing._ Hermione! Ginny__!_ Harry thought loudly.  
><em><br>__Ginny! 'Mione_!Ron thought too.

_Whoa! That's cool. We can hear each other's thoughts. Awesome_!Ginny exclaimed.

_Where are you_?Harry asked.

_Right beside you now__, _Hermione and Ginny replied. Harry and Ron looked to their left and the girls in their animal forms were there.

_Good. Let's go. We can't be here__, _Harry stated.

_All right__,_ Hermione answered and they all went back to number twelve.  
><em><br>__Uh oh__, _Harry thought as they go to the house.

_What_?Ginny asked.

_Sirius__,_ Harry said simply.

_Oh__, _the other three said together. Sirius was on the top stairs going into the house calling the kids.

_Hurry__, _Harry pushed himself faster and flapped his wings harder. The others ran faster.

"Harry! Ron, Hermione! Ginny!" Sirius called and the kids changed back. "There you are. Come here."

"Hey, Sirius," Harry said as they walked up the stairs to Sirius.

"Where were you? Were you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought something happened to you four," Sirius answered as they walked in the house.

"Sorry. We were just out front but then we had to go get the girls because they went to the clearing," Harry explained.

"Next time tell me. Come on. Time for lunch," Sirius said and they sat at the table.

"When is Remus coming home? He's been gone for hours," Harry stated.

"Not until three or four. If he comes back at four, you'll have to be home alone for an hour," Sirius told him.

"Mmm," Harry nodded.

* * *

><p>"Ugh! Kevin, get your ass home!" Remus yelled at the holograph of Kevin coming from his wand again.<p>

"No. Remus, I swear I'll be fine. I'm coming home tonight," Kevin replied.

"Not if you're staying with Greyback you're not! Kevin, get home right now!" Remus was more stressed, annoyed, and angry than he had been when he had left that morning.

"No. Seriously, Remus. I'll be fine and home tonight. I have to go. Bye."

"Kevin!" but his friend was gone. "Ugh! Someone who has talked to Kevin Baxter in the last forty-eight hours, come here!" Remus called through his department.

"I talked to him yesterday at five in the evening," a woman said. Her name was Lucy Sullivan.

"Did he say anything at all about a plan?" Remus asked.

"Yes. He said he was going to make his plan work tomorrow, which is today, and do what you've wanted done since you were seven. That's all. He changed the subject to the move after that," Lucy explained.

Remus frowned then his eyes opened wide. "Dear God no."

"Mr. Lupin?" Remus ran down the hall ignoring Lucy. "Mr. Lupin!"

"Spencer Galenda and Jane Crowley! Where are they?" Remus called.

"Mr. Lupin? What's wrong?" a woman said.

"Jane! Where's Spencer?"

"I'm right here. What's going on, Mr. Lupin?" Spencer Galenda stated.

"I need you both to go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."

"Why?" Jane frowned.

"Because Kevin's plan is to fight and kill Greyback right when the full moon is up in the middle of the pack! He's going to get himself killed! I need you two to go to Pittsburgh and bring Kevin home," Remus responded.

"We'll do it. We'll pack and leave right away," Spencer agreed.

"Good, thank you, Spence. They'll be there tonight before the moon rises. Be careful. Greyback has been more pissed off than usual," Remus warned. They nodded and ran off.

"Mr. Lupin, what are we to do about the vampire clan in Washington?" a man asked.

"Uh—"

"Mr. Lupin, we've just received word from Little Rock, Arkansas that giants are tearing through the city," a woman told him.

"Get—"

"Mr. Lupin, a newborn werewolf is out of control in a small village in Georgia. It's terrorizing the villagers," a teenage boy said.

"Have—"

"Mr. Lupin, a group of newborn vampires is attacking the city of Nashville, Tennessee right now. What do we do?" an older man stated.

"Mr. Lupin—" a woman started.

"Wait! First, have Demetri and James go to Washington and negotiate with the leader." he told the man who nodded. "Get Jasmine, Carolyn, and Seth to go to Arkansas. Have Chase go to Georgia and catch the werewolf. Richard and Mercedes know how to deal with newborn vampires. Send them to Nashville. What's going on, Cassandra?" he asked the woman he had interrupted.

"Mr. Lupin, centaurs have invaded a village in South Carolina. No one can leave their homes. A little boy and his mother were killed because they went outside."

"Okay, have Tyler, Jeff, Krissy, and Vanessa go tonight," he told her. She nodded and left. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He walked down the hall and stepped in a fireplace. He Flooed home.

"Good, you're home. I have to leave. The kids are up in Harry's room and they had lunch an hour ago and Ginny already left. See you tonight around seven or eight. I'll call if something changes and I'm later. Bye, Moony."

"Bye," Remus waved as Sirius Flooed to the Ministry. Remus opened the fridge and took out the leftover food he had left for lunch, heating it up. When it was done, he sat at the table and started eating.

"Hey, Sirius!" Harry called and went down the stairs. "Sirius!"

"He went to work, pup. It's just me," Remus said.

"Oh, hi, Remus. I'll ask you then," Harry stated.

"Ask me what?"

"Can Hermione and Ron stay another night? They'd go home early on Thursday because of the party being at one-thirty," Harry asked.

"I don't know, Harry. It's getting hectic at work for both Sirius and myself," Remus replied.

"Please, Remus. We'll be good. We won't bother either of you. Please," Harry pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

Remus thought about it for a while. "Fine. They can stay. One more night, that's it."

"Thank you!" Harry hugged his uncle then ran up to his room. Remus shook his head and continued eating.

* * *

><p>"You get to stay one more night," Harry told his friends.<p>

"Great," they smiled.

"Hermione, can you help me with my History essay?"

"Sure."

"Thanks. I'm a little over halfway done but I don't know what else to write."

"Here. Give it," Hermione took the essay.

"Thanks, 'Mione," Harry smiled.

"Are you looking forward to your party?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, except they won't tell me where the party is. I did get half of my gift though."

"What did you get?" Hermione wondered.

"A knife that opens any locked door and keys."

"Keys?" Ron and Hermione frowned.

"Yep. Sirius gave me his motorbike."

"No way," Ron said.

"Yep," Harry grinned.

"Wow."

"Wait. That was half the gift? What's the other half?" Hermione asked.

"Don't know. Haven't gotten it yet. Hey, how about you two tell me where the party is?" Harry replied.

"No. It's a surprise," they shook their heads.

"Ugh! Some friends," Harry groaned. They laughed.

"Harry!" Remus called.

"Yeah?"

"Come here!" Harry ran downstairs.

"What's up?"

"I have to go back to the Ministry. I don't know how long I'll be gone. I need somewhere for you three."

"We can stay home."

"Funny. Molly's busy, Tonks is at work, Andromeda's working, Sirius is working, Kingsley's working. Damn it! No one's free. What am I going to do with the three of you?"

"We can stay here," Harry repeated.

"No, you're not staying here. You have nowhere to go so you have to come to work with me. You have to stay in my office," Remus stated.

"Okay. I'll get Ron and Hermione," Harry ran up and got his friends.

"Come on," they all Flooed to Remus' department. "You have to stay in my office. Don't come out," he told them. The kids nodded and sat in Remus' office. "I'll be back soon.

"This should be fun," Harry said sarcastically.

* * *

><p>"What are you talking about, Gabriella? Spencer and Jane were sent to get Kevin," Remus was extremely confused.<p>

"They did get him but there's a problem," Gabriella stated.

"What problem?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin, but Kevin's dead. He was killed by—"

"Greyback," Remus growled. Both Kevin and Simon were now gone because of Greyback. "Have you told Kevin's wife and daughter?"

"Not yet. We were going to tomorrow."

"Okay. Make sure you tell them," she nodded. "Greyback, you're dead," he muttered.

"Mr. Lupin!" a middle-aged man ran up to him.

"Yes?"

"We need you down here. We've caught the newborn vampire," the man said.

Remus looked at his watch. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

><p>"How long has it been?" Ron asked.<p>

"Three hours. It's twelve-thirty," Harry looked at his watch.

"Where is he?" Hermione asked.

"Dunno. He said he didn't know how long he would be. He could be gone all night for all we know," Harry answered.

"Great. I'm tired though," Hermione yawned.

"Go to sleep then. You're on the sofa," Ron told her. She rolled her eyes and laid down, attempting to sleep.

"I'm gonna try sleep as well," Harry said. He was sitting at Remus' desk. He put his arms on the desk and put his head in them. Ron, being on the floor, took off his sweater and used it as a pillow. After about half an hour, the trio was asleep. At around two in the morning, Remus returned to the office and saw the sleeping kids. He woke them up and they Flooed home.

* * *

><p>"Can we go yet?" Harry asked for the fourth time.<p>

"Fine. If we go, will you stop bugging?" Sirius said.

"Yes."

"Let's go then," Sirius replied. "Remus! Time to go!" he called.

"Coming!" Remus came down the stairs. "Let's go," they walked outside to the park and Apparated away. When Harry opened his eyes, he knew where they were immediately.

"Hogwarts? The party's at Hogwarts?"

"Yep."

"Awesome. I love it," Harry smiled. There were decorations everywhere, including a large sign floating in the air that said: Happy Birthday, Harry! "So, where is everyone?" Harry asked. Remus smiled and pointed to both the Quidditch pitch and the main doors on the school. The doors opened and all the adults Harry knew and had been invited walked out while all the kids that had been invited ran from the pitch. "Did you invite the whole school or something?" his uncles laughed. It took a while for Harry to get through saying hi to everyone, shaking hands, and receiving hugs.

For about an hour and a half, Harry stayed with all of his friend while all the adults talked and watched the kids.

"Harry! Time for presents! Come on!" Remus and Sirius called. Harry ran over with his friends and they sat on the ground, still chatting. For almost another hour and a half, Harry got passed and opened all of his gifts.

"Cake!" Mrs. Weasley sang as she brought the cake over. The large group sung 'happy birthday' to Harry then the cake was cut. While watching everyone get their cake, Harry began to think about everything.

Harry knew that soon, very soon, the people he loved and cared about were going to get hurt. He knew others would die, but when that time came, Harry wasn't going to sit back, watch, and let it happen. He wasn't going to let it happen because when it came, he was going to be ready. Harry knew he was going to be more ready than he ever had been in his life.

Of course, Harry was scared, but he was going to be ready for anything and everything Voldemort sent his way. He just had to wait for it to come and stay ready. No one, not even Harry or Voldemort, knew what was going to happen or how it was going to end, but it wasn't over until Harry said it was over and everyone, except Voldemort, knew it.

**THE END**

**A/N: So, there it is. _Disappearing & Reappearing_. This is the end of this story but there is one more in this trilogy. It is called _The Last of Times_ and it will be posted very, very soon, so keep a look out. I don't want to sound conceited or biased or anything (LOL) but I honestly think _The Last of Times_ is very good. :P I hope you all enjoyed _D&R _and I hope you'll all enjoy _The Last of Times_. :] Thank you so much for reading.**


End file.
